CVE-2022-41550 in oSIP
Summary
by MITRE • 10/12/2022
GNU oSIP v5.3.0 was discovered to contain an integer overflow via the component osip_body_parse_header.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-41550 affects GNU oSIP version 5.3.0 and represents a critical integer overflow condition within the osip_body_parse_header component. This flaw exists in the parsing mechanism responsible for processing SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) message bodies, which forms a fundamental part of voice and video communication systems. The integer overflow occurs when the software processes malformed SIP headers that contain excessively large numeric values, leading to unpredictable behavior in the application's memory management and processing logic.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and arithmetic overflow handling within the parsing function. When the osip_body_parse_header component encounters a SIP message with an oversized body length indicator, the integer arithmetic operations fail to properly check for overflow conditions before performing calculations. This allows an attacker to craft malicious SIP packets that trigger the overflow, potentially causing the application to allocate insufficient memory or perform invalid pointer arithmetic. The vulnerability manifests as a classic integer overflow scenario where a 32-bit signed integer becomes corrupted when subjected to operations exceeding its maximum representable value, as defined by the CWE-190 standard for integer overflow conditions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application instability, as it creates potential attack vectors for remote code execution and denial of service scenarios. An attacker could exploit this flaw by sending specially crafted SIP messages to systems running vulnerable versions of GNU oSIP, potentially causing the target application to crash or behave unpredictably. In environments where GNU oSIP is used as a core component of SIP-based communication infrastructure, such as VoIP servers, PBX systems, or SIP proxy applications, this vulnerability could enable unauthorized access or service disruption. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that SIP protocols are widely deployed in enterprise communication networks, making the exploitation of this vulnerability potentially impactful across multiple organizational domains.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-41550 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems with the latest stable releases of GNU oSIP that contain fixed implementations of the osip_body_parse_header function. Organizations should also implement network-level monitoring to detect and block malformed SIP traffic patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include input validation at network boundaries, rate limiting for SIP message processing, and implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious SIP header structures. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1210 for exploitation of remote services and demonstrates the importance of proper integer overflow handling in network protocol implementations. System administrators should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems utilizing GNU oSIP and ensure complete remediation across the entire communication infrastructure stack.