# CVE-2022-38152: Null dereference in n/a

> A segmentation fault in wolfSSL servers causes denial of service when using the non-default SSL_clear function during TLS session resumption.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 31 Aug 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2022-38152, GHSA-g986-42m5-mxwm, JLSEC-2026-672, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-38152

## What is CVE-2022-38152?

CVE-2022-38152 is a high-severity vulnerability in Wolfssl Wolfssl, published on 31 Aug 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in wolfSSL before 5.5.0. When a TLS 1.3 client connects to a wolfSSL server and SSL_clear is called on its session, the server crashes with a segmentation fault. This occurs in the second session, which is created through TLS session resumption and reuses the initial struct WOLFSSL. If the server reuses the previous session structure (struct WOLFSSL) by calling wolfSSL_clear(WOLFSSL* ssl) on it, the next received Client Hello (that resumes the previous session) crashes the server. Note that this bug is only triggered when resuming sessions using TLS session resumption. Only servers that use wolfSSL_clear instead of the recommended SSL_free; SSL_new sequence are affected. Furthermore, wolfSSL_clear is part of wolfSSL's compatibility layer and is not enabled by default. It is not part of wolfSSL's native API.

Weakness: CWE-754 (Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-38152?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Wolfssl Wolfssl.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-38152?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2022-38152 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38152 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Wolfssl Wolfssl

- [CVE-2024-5991](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-5991/): Buffer overread in domain name matching (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-37155](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-37155/): Security feature bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-36177](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-36177/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-2896](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-2896/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-2897](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-2897/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-38152 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-38152 is a high-severity vulnerability in Wolfssl Wolfssl, published on 31 Aug 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-38152 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Wolfssl Wolfssl. 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-2022-38152/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38152/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38152
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-38152
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-38152

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-38152/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.