CVE-2022-21426Network attack vector

Application crash via unbounded XPath compilation memory

Published Apr 19, 2022 · Updated Sep 24, 2024

Denial of service in JAXP in Oracle Java SE 7u331, 8u321, 11.0.14, 17.0.2, and 18 allows remote attackers to crash apps via crafted XPath. The XPath compiler fails to limit memory allocated for groups and operators in an attacker-supplied expression, exhausting the Java heap. Exposure requires an application, applet, or sandboxed Java Web Start client to process untrusted XPath content; the bounded consequence is an out-of-memory application exit.

CVSS severity5.3
Medium
EPSS probability3.12%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in JAXP in Oracle Java SE 7u331, 8u321, 11.0.14, 17.0.2, and 18 allows remote attackers to crash apps via crafted XPath. The XPath compiler fails to limit memory allocated for groups and operators in an attacker-supplied expression, exhausting the Java heap. Exposure requires an application, applet, or sandboxed Java Web Start client to process untrusted XPath content; the bounded consequence is an out-of-memory application exit.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-21426
Published
Apr 19, 2022
Updated
Sep 24, 2024
Vendor
Oracle Corporation
Product
Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE)
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 19, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 24, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition:20.3.5
  2. Affected versionversion=Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition:21.3.1
  3. Affected versionversion=Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition:22.0.0.2
  4. Affected versionversion=Oracle Java SE:11.0.14
  5. Affected versionversion=Oracle Java SE:17.0.2
  6. Affected versionversion=Oracle Java SE:18
  7. Affected versionversion=Oracle Java SE:7u331
  8. Affected versionversion=Oracle Java SE:8u321

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Oracle Corporation · Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE)version=Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition:20.3.5; version=Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition:21.3.1; version=Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition:22.0.0.2; version=Oracle Java SE:11.0.14; version=Oracle Java SE:17.0.2; version=Oracle Java SE:18; version=Oracle Java SE:7u331; version=Oracle Java SE:8u321

Published CVSS scores

5.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
5.3Oracle CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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