HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2022-42920
CRITICAL

CVE-2022-42920

CWE-787Published: November 7, 2022· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Apache Commons BCEL has a number of APIs that would normally only allow changing specific class characteristics. However, due to an out-of-bounds writing issue, these APIs can be used to produce arbitrary bytecode. This could be abused in applications that pass attacker-controllable data to those APIs, giving the attacker more control over the resulting bytecode than otherwise expected. Update to Apache Commons BCEL 6.6.0.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2022-42920 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Apache1 product(s)
commons bcel
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
Source: NVD CPE · 4 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (12)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2022-42920
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-787
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedNov 7, 2022

Related CVEs (CWE-787)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2022-42920 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.