Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-46291 is a critical memory corruption issue in Open Babel. A malformed MSI-format file can trigger out-of-bounds writes and may allow arbitrary code execution when processed by affected Open Babel versions.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for any system processing untrusted chemical files with Open Babel. If Open Babel is absent or never handles MSI files, business urgency is lower but still warrants inventory confirmation.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-119 in Open Babel translationVectors parsing. Sources identify Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3 as affected, specifically for MSI file format parsing. The CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8, with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Open Babel parses MSI files from users, partners, automated feeds, or research workflows. Web upload converters, batch processing pipelines, and desktop workflows using affected Open Babel builds should be prioritized.
Exploitation context
The sources describe malicious file delivery as the trigger and possible arbitrary code execution. The bundle says the CVE is not in KEV, and no provided source confirms active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The provided bundle does not name a fixed release or patch commit. Avoid assuming exploit-in-the-wild status. Focus validation on version confirmation, MSI parsing exposure, and whether parsing occurs across a trust boundary.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Open Babel deployments and embedded library usage.
- Prioritize systems running Open Babel 3.1.1 or commit 530dbfa3.
- Restrict or disable untrusted MSI file parsing until remediated.
- Run Open Babel processing in a constrained sandbox.
- Check Open Babel or Talos guidance for fixed versions or vendor remediation.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Open Babel is installed directly or bundled in applications.
- Identify services that accept or process MSI-format files.
- Review file-processing crash logs for Open Babel parsing failures.
- Verify remediation against vendor guidance before restoring untrusted MSI processing.
- Add regression coverage for rejected malformed MSI inputs.
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-119: 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-2022-46291 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.
Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.