# CVE-2022-40922: LIEF segmentation fault in MachO binary parser

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-40922-lief-segmentation-fault-in-macho-binary-parser  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2022-10-03. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2022-40922 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2022-10-03

LIEF is a library for parsing and analyzing binary files including Mach-O executables used in macOS. A flaw in the MachO parser can cause the application to crash (segmentation fault) when processing a specially crafted malformed Mach-O file, resulting in a denial of service for any tool or service using LIEF to parse untrusted binaries.

Technologies: [lief (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/lief). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2022-40922 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2022-40922 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2022-40922?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 3 October 2022.

**Which products and versions are affected?** lief (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=0.12.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2022-40922?** Yes. lief (PyPI): upgrade to 0.12.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2022-40922 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2022-40922?** Check whether you run lief (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- lief (PyPI): upgrade to 0.12.2 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "lief>=0.12.2"
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability is a denial-of-service crash (segmentation fault) in the LIEF::MachO::BinaryParser::init_and_parse function when parsing malformed Mach-O files. The root cause involves improper validation of corrupted symbol table entries (nlist) with invalid string indices, leading to out-of-bounds memory access. An attacker can craft a malicious MachO file with corrupted nlist structures that, when parsed by LIEF v0.12.1 and earlier, triggers a write to invalid memory. This is a network-reachable remote DoS if LIEF is used in a service that accepts file uploads or network input. A patch is available in commit fde2c48986739fabd2cf9b40b9af149a89c57850, fixed in version 0.12.2.

## Affected products

- LIEF Project LIEF 0.8.0 through 0.12.1

## Identifiers

- CVE-2022-40922
- GHSA-38hf-c37x-32hv
- PYSEC-2022-43138

## Timeline

- 2022-10-04: disclosed
- 2022-10-06: patched: Version 0.12.2 released with fix

## References

- [https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/issues/781](https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF/issues/781)

## Related threats

- [PYSEC-2026-1538 - LIEF is vulnerable to segmentation fault](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-15504-lief-is-vulnerable-to-segmentation-fault)
- [LIEF uninitialized variable in machd_reader.c](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2024-31636-lief-uninitialized-variable-in-machd-reader-c)
- [LIEF heap buffer overflow in the LIEF::MachO::BinaryParser::parse_dyldinfo_generic_bind](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-43171-lief-heap-buffer-overflow-in-the-lief-macho-binaryparser-parse)
- [LIEF vulnerable to denial of service through segmentation fault](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-40923-lief-vulnerable-to-denial-of-service-through-segmentation-fault)
- [LIEF contains segmentation violation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-38307-lief-contains-segmentation-violation)