CVE-2022-39243 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.4) CWE-77 vulnerability in com.zaxxer:nuprocess. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for com.zaxxer:nuprocess — see the affected versions and patch details below.
NuProcess vulnerable to command-line injection through insertion of NUL character(s)
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-39243.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
com.zaxxer:nuprocessReal-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
Impact
In all the versions of NuProcess where it forks processes by using the JVM's Java_java_lang_UNIXProcess_forkAndExec method (1.2.0+), attackers can use NUL characters in their strings to perform command line injection. Java's ProcessBuilder isn't vulnerable because of a check in ProcessBuilder.start. NuProcess is missing that check.
This vulnerability can only be exploited to inject command line arguments on Linux.
- On macOS, any argument with a NUL character is truncated at that character. This means the malicious arguments are never seen by the started process.
- On Windows, the entire command line is truncated at the first NUL character. This means the malicious arguments, and any intentional arguments provided after them, are never seen by the started process.
Patches
2.0.5
Workarounds
Users of the library can sanitize command strings to remove NUL characters prior to passing them to NuProcess for execution.
References
None.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.zaxxer:nuprocess | ≥ 1.2.0&&< 2.0.5 | 2.0.5com.zaxxer:nuprocess:2.0.5 |
Affected Products
nuprocessnuprocess_projectResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.zaxxer:nuprocess, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.zaxxer:nuprocess to 2.0.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-39243 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-39243 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.