CVE-2022-1473

Resource leakage when decoding certificates and keys

Published May 3, 2022 CVSS 3.1 · 7.5 High EPSS 4.7% KEV · Not listed
Description
The OPENSSL_LH_flush() function, which empties a hash table, contains a bug that breaks reuse of the memory occuppied by the removed hash table entries. This function is used when decoding certificates or keys. If a long lived process periodically decodes certificates or keys its memory usage will expand without bounds and the process might be terminated by the operating system causing a denial of service. Also traversing the empty hash table entries will take increasingly more time. Typically such long lived processes might be TLS clients or TLS servers configured to accept client certificate authentication. The function was added in the OpenSSL 3.0 version thus older releases are not affected by the issue. Fixed in OpenSSL 3.0.3 (Affected 3.0.0,3.0.1,3.0.2).

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
EUVD EUVD EUVD-2022-3867 The OPENSSL_LH_flush() function, which empties a hash table, contains a bug that breaks reuse of the memory occuppied by the removed hash table entries. This function is used when decoding certificates or keys. If a long lived process periodically decodes certificates or keys its memory usage will expand without bounds and the process might be terminated by the operating system causing a denial of service. Also traversing the empty hash table entries will take increasingly more time. Typically such long lived processes might be TLS clients or TLS servers configured to accept client certificate authentication. The function was added in the OpenSSL 3.0 version thus older releases are not affected by the issue. Fixed in OpenSSL 3.0.3 (Affected 3.0.0,3.0.1,3.0.2).
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-g323-fr93-4j3c Resource leakage when decoding certificates and keys
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-5402-1 OpenSSL vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-5402-2 OpenSSL vulnerabilities
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
openssl
Published
Updated
Oct 14, 2026, 12:48 PM
Reserved
Apr 26, 2022, 12:00 AM
Status
Modified
Published
May 3, 2022, 4:15 PM
Modified
Oct 14, 2026, 1:17 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
May 3, 2022, 12:00 AM