Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2022-46295 is a critical memory-corruption issue in Open Babel. A malicious Gaussian-format file can cause out-of-bounds writes during parsing, with potential arbitrary code execution. Business risk is highest where Open Babel processes externally supplied chemistry files automatically.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent where Open Babel handles external files. Arbitrary code execution in automated file parsing can create a server compromise path, but urgency is lower for isolated internal-only use with no Gaussian file ingestion.
Technical view
Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3 are affected. The flaw is in translationVectors parsing for the Gaussian file format and is classified as CWE-119. The published CVSS 3.1 score is 9.8 with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely in systems running affected Open Babel versions that accept or convert Gaussian files from users, partners, research pipelines, or automated ingestion workflows. The sources do not identify downstream products or packaged distributions.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources do not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The documented attack condition is providing a specially crafted malformed Gaussian file to a vulnerable Open Babel parser.
Researcher notes
Talos describes multiple out-of-bounds writes in translationVectors parsing. The CVE states the affected format is Gaussian. The CVSS vector indicates network reachability without privileges or user interaction, but real-world exploitability depends on deployment and file-ingestion exposure.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Open Babel 3.1.1 and master commit 530dbfa3 usage.
- Check Open Babel and Talos guidance for fixed versions or supported workarounds.
- Restrict untrusted Gaussian file processing until remediation is confirmed.
- Isolate file-conversion workloads and limit parser process privileges.
- Disable Gaussian format ingestion where it is not business-required.
Validation and detection
- Confirm Open Babel versions in packages, containers, and embedded builds.
- Map upload, conversion, and batch-processing paths that invoke Open Babel.
- Verify whether Gaussian files can come from untrusted sources.
- Review crash or parser-failure logs around Open Babel file handling.
- Retest affected workflows after applying vendor-confirmed remediation.
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
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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-2022-46295 mapping review
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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.