CVE-2022-44641 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the Linaro Automated Validation Architecture (LAVA) versions prior to 2022.11. LAVA is an open-source framework used primarily for automated testing and validation of embedded devices and systems, often employed in development and continuous integration environments. The vulnerability arises from the way LAVA processes XMLRPC requests. Specifically, authenticated users can submit crafted XMLRPC requests containing recursive XML entity expansions. This technique, commonly known as an XML External Entity (XXE) attack variant, leads to excessive memory consumption on the server due to uncontrolled recursive entity expansion. The result is a Denial of Service (DoS) condition where the server becomes unresponsive or crashes due to resource exhaustion. The attack requires valid user credentials, meaning it is not exploitable by unauthenticated attackers. No user interaction beyond submitting the malicious request is necessary. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but solely affects availability. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, and impact limited to availability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported, and no official patches are linked in the provided data, though it is expected that fixes would involve input validation and limiting XML entity expansion depth. The CWE classification is CWE-776, which relates to improper restriction of recursive entity expansion in XML parsers.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2022-44641 is service disruption in environments using LAVA for automated testing and validation of embedded systems. Organizations involved in embedded device development, telecommunications, automotive, and IoT sectors are most at risk, as LAVA is commonly used in these industries. A successful attack could halt continuous integration pipelines, delay product development cycles, and cause operational downtime. While the vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized code execution, the denial of service can degrade productivity and potentially impact contractual delivery timelines. In critical infrastructure sectors where embedded systems testing is integral, such as automotive manufacturing or telecommunications equipment providers, this could have downstream effects on supply chains and service availability. Since exploitation requires valid credentials, insider threats or compromised accounts pose the greatest risk. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate threat levels, but the medium severity and ease of exploitation with credentials warrant proactive mitigation.

1. Restrict access to LAVA instances strictly to trusted personnel and networks, employing strong authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 2. Monitor and audit XMLRPC request logs for unusual patterns indicative of recursive entity expansion or abnormal memory usage spikes. 3. Implement network-level protections such as rate limiting and anomaly detection to identify and block excessive or malformed XMLRPC requests. 4. Update LAVA installations to version 2022.11 or later once official patches are available, or apply vendor-provided patches promptly. 5. If patching is not immediately possible, consider disabling or restricting XMLRPC interfaces or applying XML parser configurations that limit entity expansion depth and disable external entity processing. 6. Educate developers and operators about the risks of XML entity expansion attacks and enforce secure coding and configuration practices in test automation environments. 7. Regularly review user privileges and remove unnecessary access to minimize the number of accounts capable of submitting XMLRPC requests.