CVE-2022-44451: Open Babel uninitialized pointer dereference in MSI atom parser

CVE-2022-44451 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-07-01

Open Babel, a widely used library for converting chemistry and molecular data formats, contains a memory safety flaw in its MSI file parser. An attacker could provide a specially crafted chemistry file that, when opened by a user or processed by an automated service, could lead to a program crash or potentially allow the attacker to execute unauthorized code. This affects various software and web services that integrate Open Babel for molecular data processing.

Technologies: openbabel (PyPI). Vendors: PyPI.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2022-44451 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2022-44451 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2022-44451?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 1 July 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
openbabel (PyPI) < 3.2.0, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=3.2.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2022-44451?
Yes. openbabel (PyPI): upgrade to 3.2.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2022-44451 attacked?
It is attacked with local access, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2022-44451?
Check whether you run openbabel (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

  • openbabel (PyPI): upgrade to 3.2.0 or later
    pip install "openbabel>=3.2.0"

Technical details

A memory-safety vulnerability exists in Open Babel's MSI (Materials Studio) format parser due to an uninitialized pointer dereference (CWE-824). The flaw is located in the atom handling logic of the MSI reader, where a malformed record causes the parser to access an atom pointer that has not been initialized. Exploitation requires a victim to open a crafted MSI file using the obabel CLI tool, the OBConversion API, or any of its language bindings (Python, Ruby, Java, etc.). While the GitHub advisory lists a CVSS of 7.8 (Local), the NVD entry notes that Talos assigned a 9.8 (Network) score; however, the primary vector involves processing untrusted input files. The issue is fixed in version 3.2.0.

Affected products

  • Open Babel openbabel <= 3.1.1

Identifiers

  • CVE-2022-44451
  • GHSA-jr2x-6qf6-q5mc
  • PYSEC-2026-2784

Timeline

  • 2026-05-09: patched: Fix commit fa9a2d9a authored.
  • 2026-05-26: patched: Version 3.2.0 released.
  • 2026-07-01: advisory: GitHub Advisory published.

References

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