Application hang via cyclic certificate chain
Published Jun 1, 2022 · Updated May 27, 2026
Infinite loop in curl libcurl 7.34.0 through 7.83.0 allows remote attackers to hang NSS-backed applications via a malicious TLS server. In display_conn_info in lib/vtls/nss.c, CERT_FindCertIssuer repeatedly follows a cyclic issuer chain without bounding the certificate count. The application must use an NSS-built libcurl with CURLOPT_CERTINFO enabled; the command-line tool cannot reach this path, and the affected process remains stuck.
Summary
What happened
Infinite loop in curl libcurl 7.34.0 through 7.83.0 allows remote attackers to hang NSS-backed applications via a malicious TLS server. In display_conn_info in lib/vtls/nss.c, CERT_FindCertIssuer repeatedly follows a cyclic issuer chain without bounding the certificate count. The application must use an NSS-built libcurl with CURLOPT_CERTINFO enabled; the command-line tool cannot reach this path, and the affected process remains stuck.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-27781
- Published
- Jun 1, 2022
- Updated
- May 27, 2026
- Vendor
- curl
- Product
- curl
- Classifications
- CWE-400, CWE-835, T1499
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 1, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 27, 2026Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=Fixed in 7.83.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- HackerOne report 1555441proof of concept · unverified
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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