Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Open Babel can be crashed or potentially taken over when it parses a specially malformed chemistry file. The cited issue is in MOPAC file handling, specifically a Final Point and Derivatives section. Any service that accepts and processes untrusted chemical files with affected Open Babel versions should be treated as urgent.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for internet-facing or partner-facing file processing systems. The severity is critical because successful exploitation can move from a malformed chemistry file to arbitrary code execution. Business urgency depends on whether untrusted files reach affected Open Babel parsing paths.
Technical view
CVE-2022-46293 is a CWE-119 out-of-bounds write in Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3. Talos describes it in translationVectors parsing for the MOPAC format. A crafted malformed file can trigger memory corruption and may lead to arbitrary code execution.
Likely exposure
Most exposure is in web portals, APIs, research platforms, or batch pipelines that run Open Babel against files supplied by users, partners, or automated feeds. Systems using Open Babel only for trusted internal files have lower practical exposure but still need version review.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The public description says an attacker can provide a malicious file to trigger the vulnerability. No exploit code or operational exploitation details are needed to assess urgency.
Researcher notes
The bundle names Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3 only. It does not identify a patched version, workaround, or active exploitation. Validation should focus on reachability of MOPAC parsing and whether untrusted input can trigger translationVectors handling.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory all Open Babel deployments and embedded package copies.
- Check Open Babel and Talos guidance for fixed versions or vendor remediation.
- Stop or isolate processing of untrusted MOPAC files until remediated.
- Run file conversion workloads with least privilege and strong sandboxing.
- Restrict public upload paths that feed Open Babel parsers.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Open Babel 3.1.1 or commit 530dbfa3 is present.
- Identify services that pass user-supplied files into Open Babel.
- Check whether MOPAC file parsing is enabled or reachable.
- Review upload, queue, and batch conversion logs for MOPAC inputs.
- Verify remediation against vendor guidance once a fixed version is identified.
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-2022-46293 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.