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HIGH severity

CVE-2022-3509 — protobuf-java

HIGHFix: protocolbuffers/protobuf@a3888f5

CVE-2022-3509 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerability in com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java. A fix is available for com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Parsing issue in protobuf textformat

Also known asGHSA-g5ww-5jh7-63cx
Published
Updated
Affected
7 pkgs
Patched
7 / 7
Exploits
None indexed
Exploitation data as of Nov 6, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

  • CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
  • CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-3509.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
1.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Lower Risk0.00%
Lower risk than most CVEs62th percentile — riskier than 62% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
0.00%0.49%0.98%1.47%0.1%1.0%May 26Sep 26Nov 26

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

7 pkgs affected
☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite☕com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

A parsing issue similar to CVE-2022-3171, but with textformat in protobuf-java core and lite versions prior to 3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6 and 3.16.3 can lead to a denial of service attack. Inputs containing multiple instances of non-repeated embedded messages with repeated or unknown fields causes objects to be converted back-n-forth between mutable and immutable forms, resulting in potentially long garbage collection pauses. We recommend updating to the versions mentioned above.

Affected Packages

7 total 7 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-java≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.16.33.16.3com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java:3.16.3
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-java≥ 3.17.0&&< 3.19.63.19.6com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java:3.19.6
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-java≥ 3.20.0&&< 3.20.33.20.3com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java:3.20.3
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-java≥ 3.21.0&&< 3.21.73.21.7com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java:3.21.7
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite≥ 3.20.0&&< 3.20.33.20.3com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite:3.20.3
☕Mavencom.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite≥ 3.21.0&&< 3.21.73.21.7com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalite:3.21.7

Affected Products

2 products · 8 configurations
Application
protobuf-javagoogle
≥ 3.21.0 && < 3.21.7
range
Application
protobuf-javalitegoogle
≥ 3.21.0 && < 3.21.7
range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

  1. Detect

    Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

  2. Fix

    Update com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java to 3.16.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-3509 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. Workarounds

    Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatModerate
ProductFixed inAdvisory
Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion Packsee advisoryRHSA-2023:1855
RHINT Service Registry 2.4.3 GAprotobuf-javaRHSA-2023:3815
RHPAM 7.13.4 asyncsee advisoryRHSA-2023:4983

Frequently Asked Questions

A parsing issue similar to CVE-2022-3171, but with textformat in protobuf-java core and lite versions prior to 3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6 and 3.16.3 can lead to a denial of service attack. Inputs containing multiple instances of non-repeated embedded messages with repeated or unknown fields causes objects to be converted back-n-forth between mutable and immutable forms, resulting in potentially long garbage collection pauses. We recommend updating to the versions mentioned above.
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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CVE-2022-3509: protobuf-java DoS — Fixed in 3.16.3