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Full vulnerability report · 2022
CVE-2022-38476High confidence

A data race could occur in the <code>PK11_ChangePW</code> function, potentially leading to a use-after-free vulnerability

Mozilla · Firefox ESR

7.5HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Select the national-authority views to include. The exact source language is shown on each matched advisory. Your choice is remembered on this device and encoded in the shareable URL.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2022-41059

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Fix not verified
01

What, why and how

A data race could occur in the <code>PK11_ChangePW</code> function, potentially leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. In Firefox, this lock protected the data when a user changed their master password. This vulnerability affects Firefox ESR < 102.2 and Thunderbird < 102.2.

What

A data race could occur in the <code>PK11_ChangePW</code> function, potentially leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. In Firefox, this lock protected the data when a user changed their master password. This vulnerability affects Firefox ESR < 102.2 and Thunderbird < 102.2.

Why

The program can continue using memory after it has been released, producing unsafe and attacker-influenceable behaviour.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

A data race could occur in the <code>PK11_ChangePW</code> function, potentially leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. In Firefox, this lock protected the data when a user changed their master password. This vulnerability affects Firefox ESR < 102.2 and Thunderbird < 102.2.

Why

The program can continue using memory after it has been released, producing unsafe and attacker-influenceable behaviour.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Use After Free → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
Required interaction required
Attack complexity
High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-416

CWE-416: Use After Free. The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedCWE-416
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20221228Security Bulletin 28 Dec 2022

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 28 Dec 2022, published on 28 December 2022. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2026-AVI-0218Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits VMware

org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-35252 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3570 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3570 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3597 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3597 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3598 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3598 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3599 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3599 Référence CVE CVE-2022-36227 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-36227 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3626 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3626 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3627 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3627 Référence CVE CVE-2022-37434 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-37434 Référence CVE CVE-2022-38476 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38476 Référence CVE CVE-2022-38533 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38533 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3970 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3970 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40090 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40090 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40303 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40303 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40304 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40304 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40897 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40897 Référence CVE CVE-2022-41409 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-41409 Référence CVE CVE-2022-4285 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2025-AVI-0969Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits VMware

g/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-36227 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3626 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3626 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3627 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3627 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3715 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3715 Référence CVE CVE-2022-37434 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-37434 Référence CVE CVE-2022-37454 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-37454 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3786 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3786 Référence CVE CVE-2022-37967 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-37967 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3821 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3821 Référence CVE CVE-2022-38476 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-38476 Référence CVE CVE-2022-39046 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-39046 Référence CVE CVE-2022-3996 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-3996 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40090 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40090 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40303 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40303 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40304 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40304 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40674 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40674 Référence CVE CVE-2022-40897 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-40897 Référence CVE CVE-2022-41409 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CV

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-765Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Mozilla

De multiples vulnérabilités ont été corrigées dans Mozilla . Elles permettent à un attaquant de provoquer une exécution de code arbitraire à distance et un contournement de la politique de sécurité.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2022-003232Mozilla Thunderbird における解放済みメモリの使用に関する脆弱性

Mozilla Thunderbird には、解放済みメモリの使用に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix not verified
Affected
  • Firefox ESR: unspecified < 102.2
  • Thunderbird: unspecified < 102.2
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
No verified patch reference is present in the current structured sources. Check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 22 Dec 2022 · Last source change 15 Apr 2025, 17:24 UTC · CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2022-41059
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.

Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2022-38476 · cve.blacktree.nl