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CVE-2022-40735

Using long exponents in the Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows remote attackers (from...

7.5 HighFix available

The Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows use of long exponents that arguably make certain calculations unnecessarily expensive, because the 1996 van Oorschot and Wiener paper found that "(appropriately) short exponents" can be used when there are adequate subgroup constraints, and these short exponents can lead to less expensive calculations than for long exponents. This issue is different from CVE-2002-20001 because it is based on an observation about exponent size, rather than an observation about numbers that are not public keys. The specific situations in which calculation expense would constitute a server-side vulnerability depend on the protocol (e.g., TLS, SSH, or IKE) and the DHE implementation details. In general, there might be an availability concern because of server-side resource consumption from DHE modular-exponentiation calculations. Finally, it is possible for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and CVE-2002-20001 together.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

2.63%Up 1.5 points since Nov 15, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 7.5

The Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows use of long exponents that arguably make certain calculations unnecessarily expensive, because the 1996 van Oorschot and Wiener paper found that "(appropriately) short exponents" can be used when there are adequate subgroup constraints, and these short exponents can lead to less expensive calculations than for long exponents. This issue is different from CVE-2002-20001 because it is based on an observation about exponent size, rather than an observation about numbers that are not public keys. The specific situations in which calculation expense would constitute a server-side vulnerability depend on the protocol (e.g., TLS, SSH, or IKE) and the DHE implementation details. In general, there might be an availability concern because of server-side resource consumption from DHE modular-exponentiation calculations. Finally, it is possible for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and CVE-2002-20001 together.

Record
CVE-2022-40735
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-400
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

The Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows use of long exponents that arguably make certain calculations unnecessarily expensive, because the 1996 van Oorschot and Wiener paper found that "(appropriately) short exponents" can be used when there are adequate subgroup constraints, and these short exponents can lead to less expensive calculations than for long exponents. This issue is different from CVE-2002-20001 because it is based on an observation about exponent size, rather than an observation about numbers that are not public keys. The specific situations in which calculation expense would constitute a server-side vulnerability depend on the protocol (e.g., TLS, SSH, or IKE) and the DHE implementation details. In general, there might be an availability concern because of server-side resource consumption from DHE modular-exponentiation calculations. Finally, it is possible for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and CVE-2002-20001 together.

Record
CVE-2022-40735
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-44003 No score

The Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows use of long exponents that arguably make certain calculations unnecessarily expensive, because the 1996 van Oorschot and Wiener paper found that "(appropriately) short exponents" can be used when there are adequate subgroup constraints, and these short exponents can lead to less expensive calculations than for long exponents. This issue is different from CVE-2002-20001 because it is based on an observation about exponent size, rather than an observation about numbers that are not public keys. The specific situations in which calculation expense would constitute a server-side vulnerability depend on the protocol (e.g., TLS, SSH, or IKE) and the DHE implementation details. In general, there might be an availability concern because of server-side resource consumption from DHE modular-exponentiation calculations. Finally, it is possible for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and CVE-2002-20001 together.

Record
EUVD-2022-44003
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-8vmc-7qrc-q5mx 7.5

Using long exponents in the Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows remote attackers (from...

Using long exponents in the Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows remote attackers (from the client side) to trigger unnecessarily expensive server-side DHE modular-exponentiation calculations. An attacker may cause asymmetric resource consumption with any common client application which uses a DHE implementation that applies short exponents. The attack may be more disruptive in cases where a client sends arbitrary numbers that are actually not DH public keys (aka the D(HE)ater attack) or can require a server to select its largest supported key size. The basic attack scenario is that the client must claim that it can only communicate with DHE, and the server must be configured to allow DHE. This can affect TLS, SSH, and IKE.

Record
GHSA-8vmc-7qrc-q5mx
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-400
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2022-40735 7.5

The Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol allows use of long exponents that arguably make certain calculations unnecessarily expensive, because the 1996 van Oorschot and Wiener paper found that "(appropriately) short exponents" can be used when there are adequate subgroup constraints, and these short exponents can lead to less expensive calculations than for long exponents. This issue is different from CVE-2002-20001 because it is based on an observation about exponent size, rather than an observation about numbers that are not public keys. The specific situations in which calculation expense would constitute a server-side vulnerability depend on the protocol (e.g., TLS, SSH, or IKE) and the DHE implementation details. In general, there might be an availability concern because of server-side resource consumption from DHE modular-exponentiation calculations. Finally, it is possible for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability and CVE-2002-20001 together.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2022-40735
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2023:2470-1 No score

Security update for openssl-3

This update for openssl-3 fixes the following issues:

  • Update to version 3.0.8 (bsc#1207541).

  • CVE-2022-40735: Fixed remote trigger of expensive server-side DHE modular-exponentiation with long exponents in Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol (bsc#1205476).

  • CVE-2023-1255: Fixed input buffer over-read in AES-XTS implementation on 64 bit ARM (bsc#1210714).

  • CVE-2023-2650: Fixed possible DoS translating ASN.1 object identifiers (bsc#1211430).

Record
SUSE-SU-2023:2470-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-6854-1 No score

openssl vulnerability

It was discovered that OpenSSL failed to choose an appropriately short private key size when computing shared-secrets in the Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Protocol. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to cause OpenSSL to consume resources, resulting in a denial of service.

Record
USN-6854-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
openssl-3
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 3.0.8-150400.4.26.1
3.0.8-150400.4.26.1
openssl-3
openSUSE:Leap 15.4
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 3.0.8-150400.4.26.1
3.0.8-150400.4.26.1
openssl
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
before 3.0.2-0ubuntu1.16, plus listed versions
1.1.1l-1ubuntu13.0.0-1ubuntu13.0.1-0ubuntu13.0.2-0ubuntu13.0.2-0ubuntu1.1
Show 12 moreShow less
3.0.2-0ubuntu1.23.0.2-0ubuntu1.43.0.2-0ubuntu1.53.0.2-0ubuntu1.63.0.2-0ubuntu1.73.0.2-0ubuntu1.83.0.2-0ubuntu1.93.0.2-0ubuntu1.103.0.2-0ubuntu1.123.0.2-0ubuntu1.133.0.2-0ubuntu1.143.0.2-0ubuntu1.15
3.0.2-0ubuntu1.16
nodejs
Ubuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
12.22.5~dfsg-5ubuntu112.22.7~dfsg-2ubuntu112.22.7~dfsg-2ubuntu312.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu212.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3
Show 7 moreShow less
12.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.112.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.212.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.312.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.412.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.512.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.612.22.9~dfsg-1ubuntu3.6+esm2
None known
openssl
Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-preview:22.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
3.0.2-0ubuntu1.10+Fips13.0.2-0ubuntu1.12+Fips1
None known
openssl
Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:22.04:LTS
before 3.0.2-0ubuntu1.16+Fips1, plus listed versions
3.0.2-0ubuntu1.10+Fips13.0.2-0ubuntu1.12+Fips13.0.2-0ubuntu1.14+Fips13.0.2-0ubuntu1.15+Fips1
3.0.2-0ubuntu1.16+Fips1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2022-40735 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Diffie-hellman Key Exchange Project Key Exchange, published November 14, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.63%, the 85th percentile. Fixed in openssl 3.0.2-0ubuntu1.16.

References

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