CVE-2022-43552 — A use after free vulnerability exists in curl <7.87.0. Curl can be asked to *tunnel* virtually...
A use after free vulnerability exists in curl <7.87.0. Curl can be asked to *tunnel* virtually all protocols it supports through an HTTP proxy. HTTP proxies can (and often do) deny such tunnel operations. When getting denied to tunnel the specific protocols SMB or TELNET, curl would use a heap-allocated struct after it had been freed, in its transfer shutdown code path.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 2.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+13
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Apple Macos, Haxx Curl, Splunk Universal Forwarder).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | Macos | ≥ 13.0 and < 13.3 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Haxx | Curl | < 7.87.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Splunk | Universal Forwarder | ≥ 8.2.0 and < 8.2.12≥ 9.0.0 and < 9.0.6version 9.1.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 5.9 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 2.2 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 5.9 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 2.2 | 3.6 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 5.9 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Affected products added · haxx/curl, apple/macos, splunk/universal forwarder
- CVSS changed · 5.9
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- 2023
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
References
10 on the record
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230214-0002/
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-892048.html
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230214-0002
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-6342-4x32-pp8v
- cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
- support.apple.com/kb/HT213670
- hackerone.com/reports/1764858
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2023/Mar/17
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-43552
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202310-12
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-86950 Apple Multiple Products Out-of-Bounds Write Vulnerability KEV 17d
- Critical CVE-2026-65400 Apple macOS Improper Authentication Vulnerability KEV Aug 6, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-9079 stale proxy password leak Jul 3, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-8926 password leak with netrc and user in URL Jul 3, 2026
- Critical CVE-2026-8927 env-set cross-proxy Digest auth state leak Jul 3, 2026
- High CVE-2026-8932 incomplete mTLS config matching in conn reuse Jul 3, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2022-43552 is "A use after free vulnerability exists in curl <7.87.0. Curl can be asked to *tunnel* virtually...", rated Medium. It affects Macos (Apple); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 5.9 describes technical severity. EPSS 2.51% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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