CVE-2022-4492 – CVE-2022-4492 is a server certificate validatio... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-4492?

CVE-2022-4492 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). CVE-2022-4492 is a server certificate validation bypass vulnerability in Undertow HTTP client. It allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting invalid certificates that should be rejected. This affects applications using Undertow's HTTP client for HTTPS connections.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2022-4492 is a server certificate validation bypass vulnerability in Undertow HTTP client. It allows attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting invalid certificates that should be rejected. This affects applications using Undertow's HTTP client for HTTPS connections.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Undertow HTTP Client

Versions: All versions prior to 2.2.26.Final

Operating Systems: All platforms running Java applications with Undertow

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects applications using Undertow's HTTP client component for HTTPS connections; HTTP connections are not affected.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete interception and manipulation of sensitive data transmitted via HTTPS, including credentials, session tokens, and confidential information.

🟠

Likely Case

Man-in-the-middle attacks in controlled network environments leading to data interception and potential credential theft.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if proper network segmentation, certificate pinning, or alternative validation mechanisms are implemented.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires attacker to be in network path; more feasible in public WiFi or compromised networks.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Internal networks typically have better controls, but risk exists if internal network is compromised.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires network position for man-in-the-middle; no authentication needed to trigger the vulnerability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Undertow 2.2.26.Final and later

Vendor Advisory: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-4492

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Undertow dependency to version 2.2.26.Final or later. 2. Rebuild and redeploy affected applications. 3. Restart application servers using the updated library.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Implement custom certificate validation

all

Override default SSL context with custom certificate validation logic

// Java code: Create custom SSLContext with proper hostname verification
// Implement X509TrustManager with certificate validation

Use alternative HTTP client

all

Replace Undertow HTTP client with alternative that performs proper certificate validation

// Replace Undertow client with Apache HttpClient, OkHttp, or Java's HttpURLConnection

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement network-level controls to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks
Use certificate pinning in application code to validate expected server certificates

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Undertow version in application dependencies; versions below 2.2.26.Final are vulnerable.

Check Version:

Check Maven/Gradle dependencies or examine JAR manifest: undertow-core-*.jar

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Undertow version is 2.2.26.Final or later and test HTTPS connections fail with invalid certificates.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected successful HTTPS connections to servers with invalid certificates
SSL/TLS handshake successes with certificate validation errors

Network Indicators:

HTTPS traffic to unexpected endpoints
Unusual certificate authorities in TLS connections

SIEM Query:

tls.handshake.extensions_server_name AND NOT tls.validation.result: "valid" AND application: "undertow"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-4492

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

CWE: CWE-918

Published: February 23, 2023

Last Updated: March 12, 2025

🔗 References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-4492 Vendor Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2153260 Issue Tracking,Vendor Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230324-0002/
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-4492 Vendor Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2153260 Issue Tracking,Vendor Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230324-0002/

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