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Public proof of conceptFix available

CVE-2022-24903

A public proof of concept exists; no exploitation attested.

  • Published2022-05-06
  • WeaknessCWE-120 · CWE-1284

Am I affected?

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Description

Rsyslog is a rocket-fast system for log processing. Modules for TCP syslog reception have a potential heap buffer overflow when octet-counted framing is used. This can result in a segfault or some other malfunction. As of our understanding, this vulnerability can not be used for remote code execution. But there may still be a slight chance for experts to do that. The bug occurs when the octet count is read. While there is a check for the maximum number of octets, digits are written to a heap buffer even when the octet count is over the maximum, This can be used to overrun the memory buffer. However, once the sequence of digits stop, no additional characters can be added to the buffer. In our opinion, this makes remote exploits impossible or at least highly complex. Octet-counted framing is one of two potential framing modes. It is relatively uncommon, but enabled by default on receivers. Modules `imtcp`, `imptcp`, `imgssapi`, and `imhttp` are used for regular syslog message reception. It is best practice not to directly expose them to the public. When this practice is followed, the risk is considerably lower. Module `imdiag` is a diagnostics module primarily intended for testbench runs. We do not expect it to be present on any production installation. Octet-counted framing is not very common. Usually, it needs to be specifically enabled at senders. If users do not need it, they can turn it off for the most important modules. This will mitigate the vulnerability.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2022-05-0600:15CVE publishedNVD
  2. 2026-10-2319:23First public proof of conceptPoC-in-GitHub

Observed activity

isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-23 18:48 UTC
Indicators tagged with this CVE, per day0 indicators over 7 days
Block these indicators
  • Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2022-24903?format=txt
  • CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2022-24903?format=csv
  • TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
  • The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.

Versions per branch

NVD
Debian debian linux
BranchAffectedFixed in
9.0= 9.0no fix published
10.0= 10.0no fix published
11.0= 11.0no fix published
Fedoraproject fedora
BranchAffectedFixed in
35.x= 35no fix published
Netapp active iq unified manager
BranchAffectedFixed in
—all versionsno fix published

1 more product in the sources.

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Fix

Advisories and patches

Detection

read 2026-10-23 19:23 UTC
Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof-of-concept repositories
1 repository, unverifiedandree554/CVE-2022-24903-Heap-based-buffer-overflow-Hand-On-Lab
PoC-in-GitHub

Sources

  • CISA-ADPSSVC decisionnone2025-04-23
  • OpenCVESSVC decisionnone—
  • CNACVSS 3.18.1read 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 3.18.1read 2026-10-23
  • NVDCVSS 2.06.8read 2026-10-23
  • CNAweakness (CWE)CWE-120read 2026-10-23
  • NVDweakness (CWE)CWE-1284read 2026-10-23
  • FIRST EPSSEPSS score3.9 %2026-10-22
  • PoC-in-GitHubproof of concept1read 2026-10-23

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2022-05-06
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-24903?

Rsyslog is a rocket-fast system for log processing. Modules for TCP syslog reception have a potential heap buffer overflow when octet-counted framing is used. This can result in a segfault or some other malfunction. As of our understanding, this vulnerability can not be used for remote code execution. But there may still be a slight chance for experts to do that. The bug occurs when the octet count is read. While there is a check for the maximum number of octets, digits are written to a heap buffer even when the octet count is over the maximum, This can be used to overrun the memory buffer. However, once the sequence of digits stop, no additional characters can be added to the buffer. In our opinion, this makes remote exploits impossible or at least highly complex. Octet-counted framing is one of two potential framing modes. It is relatively uncommon, but enabled by default on receivers. Modules `imtcp`, `imptcp`, `imgssapi`, and `imhttp` are used for regular syslog message reception. It is best practice not to directly expose them to the public. When this practice is followed, the risk is considerably lower. Module `imdiag` is a diagnostics module primarily intended for testbench runs. We do not expect it to be present on any production installation. Octet-counted framing is not very common. Usually, it needs to be specifically enabled at senders. If users do not need it, they can turn it off for the most important modules. This will mitigate the vulnerability.

Is CVE-2022-24903 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2022-24903 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 3.9% on 2026-10-22, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2022-24903?

CVE-2022-24903 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.1 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

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