Answer in brief
CVE-2022-3171 records a Medium severity (CVSS 5.7) vulnerability in protobuf-java has a potential Denial of Service issue. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven), com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven), com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven), com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven) and additional mapped packages. Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
Analysis pending evidence review
HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.
CVSS is 5.7. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.
Analysis status
Analysis pending evidence review
Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.
The current feed maps com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven), com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven), com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven), com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java (maven) and additional mapped packages. Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.
| Package | Affected range | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javamaven | >=3.21.0-rc-1 <3.21.7 | 3.21.7 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javamaven | >=3.20.0-rc-1 <3.20.3 | 3.20.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javamaven | >=3.17.0-rc-1 <3.19.6 | 3.19.6 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javamaven | >=0 <3.16.3 | 3.16.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalitemaven | >=3.21.0-rc-1 <3.21.7 | 3.21.7 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalitemaven | >=3.20.0-rc-1 <3.20.3 | 3.20.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalitemaven | >=3.17.0-rc-1 <3.19.6 | 3.19.6 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-javalitemaven | >=0 <3.16.3 | 3.16.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlinmaven | >=3.21.0-rc-1 <3.21.7 | 3.21.7 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlinmaven | >=3.20.0-rc-1 <3.20.3 | 3.20.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlinmaven | >=3.17.0-rc-1 <3.19.6 | 3.19.6 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlinmaven | >=0 <3.16.3 | 3.16.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-litemaven | >=3.21.0-rc-1 <3.21.7 | 3.21.7 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-litemaven | >=3.20.0-rc-1 <3.20.3 | 3.20.3 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-litemaven | >=3.17.0-rc-1 <3.19.6 | 3.19.6 |
| com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin-litemaven | >=0 <3.16.3 | 3.16.3 |
| google-protobufrubygems | >=3.21.0.rc.1 <3.21.7 | 3.21.7 |
| google-protobufrubygems | >=3.20.0.rc.1 <3.20.3 | 3.20.3 |
| google-protobufrubygems | >=3.17.0.rc.1 <3.19.6 | 3.19.6 |
| google-protobufrubygems | >=0 <3.16.3 | 3.16.3 |
Published upstream
Oct 4, 2022
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:recordSource modified
Sep 10, 2026
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:recordFirst seen by HOL
Aug 8, 2026
## Summary A potential Denial of Service issue in `protobuf-java` core and lite was discovered in the parsing procedure for binary and text format data. Input streams containing multiple instances of non-repeated [embedded messages](http://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/docs/encoding#embedded) with repeated or unknown fields causes objects to be converted back-n-forth between mutable and immutable forms, resulting in potentially long garbage collection pauses. Reporter: [OSS Fuzz](https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=48771) Affected versions: This issue affects both the Java full and lite Protobuf runtimes, as well as Protobuf for Kotlin and JRuby, which themselves use the Java Protobuf runtime. ## Severity [CVE-2022-3171](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-3171) Medium - CVSS Score: 5.7 (NOTE: there may be a delay in publication) ## Remediation and Mitigation Please update to the latest available versions of the following packages: protobuf-java (3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, 3.16.3) protobuf-javalite (3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, 3.16.3) protobuf-kotlin (3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, 3.16.3) protobuf-kotlin-lite (3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6, 3.16.3) google-protobuf [JRuby gem only] (3.21.7, 3.20.3, 3.19.6)
Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.