Summary
Workarounds
The changes in commits https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/commit/93588b3a0dff9bd4568983071b74d8b420de3a6e and https://github.com/NVIDIA/NVFlare/commit/93588b3a0dff9bd4568983071b74d8b420de3a6e can be applied to any version of the NVIDIA FLARE without any adverse effect.
Additional information
Issue Found on: 2022.3.3
Issue Found by: Oliver Sellwood (@Nintorac)
Impact
NVIDIA FLARE contains a vulnerability in Admin Interface, where an un-authorized attacker can cause Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, which may lead to cause system unavailable
All versions before 2.0.16 are affected.
The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap. Typical impact: resource exhaustion leading to denial of service.
CVE-2022-21822 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 (2.0.16); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
The patch will be included in nvflare==2.0.16.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-21822? CVE-2022-21822 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in nvflare (pip), affecting versions < 2.0.16. It is fixed in 2.0.16. The application allocates resources such as memory, threads, or file descriptors based on untrusted input without enforcing a cap.
- How severe is CVE-2022-21822? CVE-2022-21822 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.
- Which versions of nvflare are affected by CVE-2022-21822? nvflare (pip) versions < 2.0.16 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-21822? Yes. CVE-2022-21822 is fixed in 2.0.16. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-21822 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-21822 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-21822 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-21822? Upgrade
nvflareto 2.0.16 or later.