CVE-2022-1708

Node DOS by way of memory exhaustion through ExecSync request in CRI-O

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nginx-deployment100
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx
  replicas: 2
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nginx
        image: nginx:1.14.2
        lifecycle:
          postStart:
            exec:
              command: ["/bin/sh", "-c", "seq 1 50000000`; do echo -n 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'; done"]

It is possible for the node to be exhausted of memory or disk space, depending on the node the command is being run on. What is further problematic is that the memory and disk usage aren't attributed to the container, as this file and its processing are implementation details of CRI-O. The consequence of the exhaustion is that other services on the node, e.g. other containers, will be unable to allocate memory and thus causing a denial of service.

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

CVE-2022-1708 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.24.1, 1.23.3, 1.22.5); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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This vulnerability will be fixed in 1.24.1, 1.23.3, 1.22.5, v1.21.8, v1.20.8, v1.19.7

1. What is CVE-2022-1708? CVE-2022-1708 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in github.com/cri-o/cri-o (go), affecting versions = 1.24.0. It is fixed in 1.24.1, 1.23.3, 1.22.5. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-1708? CVE-2022-1708 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/cri-o/cri-o are affected by CVE-2022-1708? github.com/cri-o/cri-o (go) versions = 1.24.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-1708? Yes. CVE-2022-1708 is fixed in 1.24.1, 1.23.3, 1.22.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-1708 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-1708 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-1708 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-1708?
   • Upgrade github.com/cri-o/cri-o to 1.24.1 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/cri-o/cri-o to 1.23.3 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/cri-o/cri-o to 1.22.5 or later

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/cri-o/cri-o