CVE-2022-21708

Denial of Service in graphql-go

Workarounds

The best workaround is to patch to a version greater than or equal to v1.3.0.
Otherwise, the only workaround in versions prior to v1.3.0 is to disable the graphql.MaxDepth option from your schema. Unfortunately, this could potentially create opportunities for other attacks.

References

There are no references or links. This issue was reported privately and was fixed before creating this Security Advisory.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out to @pavelnikolov or @tony on the Gopher Slack.

This is a DoS vulnerability that is possible due to a bug in the library that would allow an attacker with specifically designed queries to cause stack overflow panics. Any user with access to the GraphQL handler can send these queries and cause stack overflows. This in turn could potentially compromise the ability of the server to serve data to its users. To make things worse the only mitigation in affected versions creates opportunities for other attacks. This issue is only available if you are using graphql.MaxDepth option in your schema (which is highly recommended in most cases).

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

CVE-2022-21708 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (1.3.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

The issue has been patched in version v1.3.0. We have been trying to maintain backwards compatibility and avoid breaking changes so upgrading should not be problematic.

1. What is CVE-2022-21708? CVE-2022-21708 is a medium-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in github.com/graph-gophers/graphql-go (go), affecting versions < 1.3.0. It is fixed in 1.3.0. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-21708? CVE-2022-21708 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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/graph-gophers/graphql-go are affected by CVE-2022-21708? github.com/graph-gophers/graphql-go (go) versions < 1.3.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-21708? Yes. CVE-2022-21708 is fixed in 1.3.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-21708 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-21708 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-2022-21708 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-2022-21708? Upgrade github.com/graph-gophers/graphql-go to 1.3.0 or later.