# Open Babel out-of-bounds write in ORCA nAtoms parser

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/open-babel-out-of-bounds-write-in-orca-natoms-parser-32f02077  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2023-07-21. Updated: 2026-07-01  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

Severity: critical · CVSS 9.8 · Published 2023-07-21

Open Babel, a widely used library for converting chemical data formats, contains a security flaw in how it processes ORCA files. By providing a specially crafted, malicious file to a system using this library (such as an online molecule viewer or converter), an attacker could potentially take control of the system or cause it to crash. This could lead to unauthorized access to data or a disruption of services that rely on Open Babel for chemical data processing.

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

## Quick answers

**Is This vulnerability exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of This vulnerability being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is This vulnerability?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.8, published 21 July 2023.

**Which products and versions are affected?** openbabel (PyPI) < 3.2.0.

**Is there a fix for This vulnerability?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is This vulnerability attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected?** 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.

## Technical details

Multiple out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities (CWE-787, CWE-122) exist in the ORCA format nAtoms functionality within 'formats/orcaformat.cpp' of Open Babel. The first variant (CVE-2022-46289) involves an integer overflow when calculating the size for the 'confCoords' heap buffer (nAtoms * 3), leading to a smaller-than-required allocation. The second variant (CVE-2022-46290) involves a loop that stores coordinates into this buffer without verifying the current index against the 'nAtoms' value. An attacker can exploit these by providing a malformed ORCA file with a large 'nAtoms' value or excessive coordinate entries, resulting in a heap-based buffer overflow. This can be triggered remotely if the library is used in network-accessible services like web-based chemical converters. The issue is resolved in version 3.2.0.

## Affected products

- Open Babel Open Babel 3.1.1, master commit 530dbfa3, all versions before 3.2.0

## Timeline

- 2023-07-21: advisory: Initial Talos and NVD disclosure
- 2026-07-01: other: Advisory GHSA-wj42-v2p3-fq2w withdrawn as a duplicate of GHSA-5rff-8f7c-8jmw

## References

- [https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2022-1665](https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2022-1665)
- [https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2022-1665](https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2022-1665)

## Related threats

- [Open Babel out-of-bounds write in MOPAC output parser](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-46292-open-babel-out-of-bounds-write-in-mopac-output-parser)
- [Open Babel out-of-bounds write in MSI parser translationVectors](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-46295-open-babel-out-of-bounds-write-in-msi-parser-translationvectors)
- [Open Babel out-of-bounds write in MOPAC input parser](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-46294-open-babel-out-of-bounds-write-in-mopac-input-parser)
- [Open Babel out-of-bounds write in MOPAC output parser](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-46293-open-babel-out-of-bounds-write-in-mopac-output-parser)
- [Open Babel out-of-bounds write in Gaussian translationVectors](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-46291-open-babel-out-of-bounds-write-in-gaussian-translationvectors)