# CVE-2022-0517: Code injection in Mozilla VPN

> Attackers can execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges by placing a malicious OpenSSL configuration file in an unsecured directory.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Dec 2022
- **Updated:** 16 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4vgm-pr2v-749c

## What is CVE-2022-0517?

CVE-2022-0517 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Mozilla VPN, published on 22 Dec 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Mozilla VPN can load an OpenSSL configuration file from an unsecured directory. A user or attacker with limited privileges could leverage this to launch arbitrary code with SYSTEM privilege. This vulnerability affects Mozilla VPN < 2.7.1.

Weakness: CWE-434 (Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-0517?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mozilla Vpn.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-0517?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-0517 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-0517 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-0517 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Mozilla VPN

- [CVE-2025-5687](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-5687/): Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Mozilla VPN clients for macOS v2.27.0 and below. (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-15679](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-15679/): Auth bypass in Mozilla VPN Android 1.1.0 (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2023-4104](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4104/): Missing authorization in Mozilla VPN 2.16.1 (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-0517 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-0517 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Mozilla VPN, published on 22 Dec 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-0517 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Mozilla VPN. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0517/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0517/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-0517
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0517
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-0517

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0517/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.