CVE-2022-41966
HIGHEPSS 95th pctlDescription
XStream serializes Java objects to XML and back again. Versions prior to 1.4.20 may allow a remote attacker to terminate the application with a stack overflow error, resulting in a denial of service only via manipulation the processed input stream. The attack uses the hash code implementation for collections and maps to force recursive hash calculation causing a stack overflow. This issue is patched in version 1.4.20 which handles the stack overflow and raises an InputManipulationException instead. A potential workaround for users who only use HashMap or HashSet and whose XML refers these only as default map or set, is to change the default implementation of java.util.Map and java.util per the code example in the referenced advisory. However, this implies that your application does not care about the implementation of the map and all elements are comparable.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
High risk: more likely to be exploited than 95% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-120 (Classic Buffer Overflow) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2014-0195 | Medium | 6.8 | 100% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2017-7269 | Critical | 9.8 | 100% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2019-11043 | High | 8.7 | 99% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2011-4862 | High | 10.0 | 95% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2007-5659 | High | 7.8 | 94% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2022-3786 | High | 7.5 | 92% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2022-41966?
Published advisories record a fix for 136 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2022-41966 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2022-41966 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 8.7% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 95% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2022-41966?
CVE-2022-41966 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.2, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2022-41966 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for libxstream-java (Debian), bpftool (Red Hat / RHEL), bpftool (Rocky), bpftool-debuginfo (Red Hat / RHEL), and 132 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-05-23.