CVE-2022-28948 in Go-Yaml
Summary
by MITRE • 05/20/2022
An issue in the Unmarshal function in Go-Yaml v3 causes the program to crash when attempting to deserialize invalid input.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-28948 represents a critical denial of service condition within the Go-YAML v3 library, which is widely utilized for parsing yaml formatted data in go applications. This flaw specifically manifests in the Unmarshal function implementation where the library fails to properly handle malformed or invalid input data during deserialization processes. The issue stems from inadequate error handling mechanisms within the yaml parsing logic that causes the program to terminate abruptly when encountering unexpected input structures. When developers integrate this library into their applications without proper input validation, any malicious or malformed yaml data can trigger this crash condition, effectively rendering the application unavailable to legitimate users.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper state management and exception handling within the Unmarshal function of the Go-YAML library. When invalid yaml input is processed, the function does not gracefully handle edge cases or malformed structures that would normally be caught by standard parsing mechanisms. This behavior creates a path where the program execution flow can reach an unrecoverable state, leading to a complete application crash. The vulnerability exhibits characteristics consistent with CWE-400, which describes unrestricted input validation, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.200 related to network denial of service. The flaw does not directly enable arbitrary code execution but creates a reliable vector for causing application downtime through controlled input manipulation.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-28948 extends beyond simple application crashes, as it can be exploited to create cascading failures in systems that depend on yaml parsing for configuration management, data exchange, or API communications. Applications using vulnerable versions of Go-YAML may experience complete service outages when processing yaml data from untrusted sources, including user inputs, configuration files, or external APIs. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications, microservices, and backend systems that process yaml formatted data, making it a significant concern for organizations operating in cloud environments or containerized deployments where yaml configurations are prevalent. The exploitability of this vulnerability is relatively straightforward, requiring only the injection of malformed yaml data to trigger the crash condition.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-28948 should prioritize immediate version updates to Go-YAML v3.0.1 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the Unmarshal function vulnerability. Organizations should conduct comprehensive code audits to identify all instances where Go-YAML is utilized, particularly in input validation and data processing components. Implementing proper input sanitization and validation mechanisms before yaml deserialization can serve as an additional defensive layer. Security teams should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect unusual application termination patterns or crash events related to yaml processing. The vulnerability highlights the importance of using well-maintained libraries and following security best practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks for preventing and mitigating such issues in production environments.