CVE-2022-39974 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in WASM3 version 0.5.0, an open-source WebAssembly interpreter designed for embedded systems and resource-constrained environments. The vulnerability arises from a segmentation fault triggered via the component op_Select_i32_srs located in the source file wasm3/source/m3_exec.h. This fault is indicative of a memory safety issue, specifically a buffer over-read or invalid memory access, categorized under CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer). The segmentation fault can cause the interpreter to crash, leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 reflects a high severity rating, with the vector indicating that the vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network (AV:N), requires no privileges (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts availability (A:H) without affecting confidentiality or integrity. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and no patches or vendor advisories have been published yet. The lack of vendor or product information suggests that WASM3 is a niche or embedded component used within broader products or systems rather than a standalone commercial product. The vulnerability's exploitation could be triggered by processing crafted WebAssembly bytecode that exercises the vulnerable op_Select_i32_srs operation, causing the interpreter to crash and disrupt service.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2022-39974 is the potential for denial of service attacks against systems embedding WASM3 for WebAssembly execution. This could affect IoT devices, embedded controllers, or specialized applications that rely on WASM3 for running WebAssembly modules. Disruption of these systems could lead to operational downtime, loss of availability of critical services, or interruption in industrial or consumer devices. Although confidentiality and integrity are not directly impacted, availability degradation can have cascading effects, especially in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, or critical infrastructure where embedded systems are prevalent. Additionally, the absence of required privileges or user interaction for exploitation increases the risk surface, as attackers could remotely trigger the fault if the system processes untrusted WebAssembly code. European organizations deploying embedded systems or edge devices that incorporate WASM3 should be aware of this vulnerability to prevent service interruptions and maintain compliance with availability requirements under regulations like NIS2.

Given the absence of official patches, European organizations should take immediate steps to mitigate the risk. First, audit all embedded systems and applications to identify usage of WASM3 version 0.5.0 or earlier. If possible, upgrade to a newer version of WASM3 where the vulnerability is addressed or apply community patches if available. If upgrading is not feasible, implement input validation and sanitization to restrict or block untrusted WebAssembly bytecode from reaching the interpreter. Employ network-level controls such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems to limit exposure of devices running WASM3 to untrusted networks. Additionally, implement robust monitoring and anomaly detection to identify crashes or abnormal behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. For critical systems, consider deploying redundancy or failover mechanisms to maintain availability in case of DoS conditions. Finally, engage with vendors or open-source maintainers to track patch releases and apply updates promptly once available.