CVE-2022-24126
📋 TL;DR
A buffer overflow vulnerability in Dark Souls III's NRSessionSearchResult parser allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via matchmaking servers. This affects all Dark Souls III players using online features through March 19, 2022. Attackers can potentially take full control of affected systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Bandai Namco FromSoftware Dark Souls III
📦 What is this software?
Dark Souls Iii by Fromsoftware
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control over the victim's computer, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or botnet recruitment.
Likely Case
Game crashes, account compromise, or malware installation on vulnerable systems connecting to malicious matchmaking servers.
If Mitigated
Limited to denial of service (game crashes) if network segmentation prevents code execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Public exploit code available on GitHub. Attack requires victim to connect to malicious matchmaking server.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Versions after March 19, 2022
Vendor Advisory: https://fromsoftware.jp
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Launch Dark Souls III. 2. Allow automatic updates. 3. Verify game version is post-March 19, 2022. 4. Restart game if prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Online Features
allPlay in offline mode to prevent connection to matchmaking servers
Launch game -> Settings -> Network -> Set to Offline
Block Matchmaking Traffic
windowsUse firewall to block Dark Souls III network connections
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Block DS3" dir=out action=block program="C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\DARK SOULS III\Game\DarkSoulsIII.exe" enable=yes
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable online multiplayer features completely
- Use network segmentation to isolate gaming systems from critical infrastructure
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check game version date - if before March 19, 2022 and online features are enabled, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check game properties in Steam/console or view game files modification datesVerify Fix Applied:
Verify game has updated automatically or manually check version is post-March 19, 2022.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Game crash logs with memory access violations
- Unexpected network connections to non-standard matchmaking servers
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from game client
- Traffic to suspicious IPs on matchmaking ports
SIEM Query:
source="game_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="memory_violation") AND process="DarkSoulsIII.exe"