CVE-2022-38164 in SAFE Browser
Summary
by MITRE • 11/07/2022
WithSecure through 2022-08-10 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (issue 3 of 5).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-38164 affects WithSecure products up to version 2022-08-10, representing a critical denial of service condition that can be exploited by remote attackers. This issue manifests as part of a broader set of five vulnerabilities within the affected software, with this particular flaw being the third in the sequence. The vulnerability resides within the product's handling of specific input or processing routines that fail to properly validate or manage certain operational conditions, ultimately leading to system instability and service unavailability.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the WithSecure software architecture, which allows malicious actors to craft specific payloads or requests that trigger unexpected behavior in the system's core processing components. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments. The flaw likely involves buffer overflows, improper resource management, or unhandled exception scenarios that cause the application to crash or become unresponsive. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, as the denial of service occurs through excessive resource consumption or improper resource handling that leads to system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption, as it can affect business continuity and operational security measures that organizations rely upon. When exploited, the denial of service condition can prevent legitimate users from accessing critical security services provided by WithSecure, potentially leaving systems vulnerable to other attack vectors. Organizations using affected versions may experience complete service outages, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can initiate the denial of service condition from external networks, eliminating the need for physical access or insider knowledge. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and makes the vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to disrupt operations or create cover for other malicious activities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-38164 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to version 2022-08-11 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes to address the denial of service vulnerability. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure to the affected software, particularly in environments where the vulnerability could be exploited remotely. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns of traffic or service disruptions that may indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrators should establish incident response procedures that include immediate containment and recovery protocols for systems that may be affected by this vulnerability. The remediation process should also involve comprehensive testing of patched environments to ensure that the fix does not introduce compatibility issues with existing security infrastructure. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability would be categorized under T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, which specifically addresses techniques that target endpoint systems to make them unavailable to legitimate users. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as intrusion detection systems and network monitoring tools that can detect and alert on potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.