Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Open Babel can be crashed or potentially taken over when it processes a specially crafted malformed PQS chemical file. The reported impact is arbitrary code execution, so vulnerable file-conversion or analysis services could expose the host running them.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for internet-facing or automated file-processing systems. Prioritize inventory and containment first, because arbitrary code execution in a parser can become server compromise when hostile files are accepted.
Technical view
CVE-2022-46280 is a CWE-824 use of uninitialized pointer in Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3, in PQS format pFormat handling. The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8, with no privileges or user interaction required in the vector.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Open Babel parses files supplied by users, partners, automated pipelines, or public web applications, especially PQS-format inputs. The bundle only names Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3 as affected.
Exploitation context
The source bundle says an attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger the vulnerability. It does not cite CISA KEV listing or other evidence of active exploitation, so active exploitation should not be assumed.
Researcher notes
The available evidence identifies the vulnerable parser area and affected versions, but the bundle does not provide a named patched version or operational workaround. Keep conclusions limited to Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3 unless vendor data confirms more.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Open Babel deployments and embedded uses.
- Check vendor guidance for fixed versions or official patches.
- Avoid processing untrusted PQS files until remediated.
- Run file conversion in isolated, least-privileged environments.
- Restrict upload sources and file types where business allows.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Open Babel 3.1.1 is installed or bundled.
- Search applications for Open Babel file-conversion workflows.
- Identify services accepting PQS or arbitrary chemical files.
- Review upload paths for unauthenticated or external file submission.
- Verify remediation against vendor or Talos guidance.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-824: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-46280 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Access of Uninitialized Pointer
Access of Uninitialized Pointer represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.