CVE-2022-23806 in Google
Summary
by MITRE • 02/11/2022
Curve.IsOnCurve in crypto/elliptic in Go before 1.16.14 and 1.17.x before 1.17.7 can incorrectly return true in situations with a big.Int value that is not a valid field element.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-23806 represents a critical flaw in the Go programming language's cryptographic library, specifically within the elliptic curve cryptography implementation. This issue affects versions prior to 1.16.14 and 1.17.7, where the Curve.IsOnCurve function exhibits incorrect behavior when processing big integer values that do not constitute valid field elements. The flaw resides in the cryptographic library's validation logic, which is fundamental to secure elliptic curve operations used extensively in digital signatures, key exchanges, and certificate validation across numerous applications and systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of elliptic curve point coordinates during the IsOnCurve function execution. When a big.Int value that does not represent a valid field element is passed to this function, it incorrectly returns true instead of the expected false result. This misbehavior occurs because the validation logic fails to properly verify that the input values fall within the correct mathematical field boundaries required for elliptic curve operations. The issue manifests when cryptographic libraries perform curve point validation, which is essential for preventing invalid curve points from being accepted in cryptographic operations, particularly in protocols like TLS, digital signatures, and public key infrastructure implementations.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-23806 extends across numerous security-sensitive applications that rely on Go's cryptographic libraries for secure communications and authentication. Systems utilizing Go versions affected by this vulnerability may experience reduced security guarantees in their cryptographic implementations, potentially leading to weakened authentication mechanisms, compromised digital signatures, or vulnerable key exchange protocols. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-248, which addresses improper exception handling in the context of cryptographic operations, and represents a specific instance where mathematical validation fails to prevent invalid cryptographic inputs from being processed as valid. Attackers could potentially exploit this flaw to bypass curve point validation checks, leading to security vulnerabilities in applications that depend on proper elliptic curve validation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate upgrades to Go versions 1.16.14 or 1.17.7 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for the IsOnCurve validation logic. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems and applications, particularly those handling cryptographic operations, digital signatures, or secure communications. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of cryptographic libraries and applications to ensure that the patched versions correctly validate elliptic curve points. Additionally, security teams should monitor for applications that might be using older Go versions or custom implementations that could be susceptible to similar validation issues, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper mathematical field element validation in cryptographic implementations. The fix addresses the underlying validation logic to ensure that only legitimate field elements are accepted by the IsOnCurve function, thereby maintaining the integrity of elliptic curve cryptographic operations and preventing potential exploitation through invalid input validation.