Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-31222 is a critical-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Medtronic Paceart Optima. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-31222 is a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability (CWE-502) in the Microsoft Messaging Queuing Service component of Medtronic Paceart Optima versions 1.11 and earlier running on Windows. The flaw carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 and permits an unauthenticated network attacker to affect cardiac device data managed by the Paceart Optima system.
An attacker with network access can supply malicious serialized objects to the queuing service, resulting in deletion, theft, or modification of patient cardiac data or use of the compromised system for further network penetration within a healthcare delivery organization.
Medtronic’s security bulletin for the Paceart Optima system addresses the issue and directs customers to the vendor for mitigation guidance and available updates.
The EPSS score for this CVE rose from a low baseline to a peak of 0.2853, indicating that exploitation interest emerged after public disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-35537
Vulnerability Data
Deserialization of untrusted data in Microsoft Messaging Queuing Service in Medtronic's Paceart Optima versions 1.11 and earlier on Windows allows an unauthorized user to impact a healthcare delivery organization’s Paceart Optima system cardiac device causing data to be deleted, stolen,…
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or modified, or the Paceart Optima system being used for further network penetration via network connectivity.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions.
Evaluation of untrusted data handling (deserialization testing) reveals unsafe processing, which the required remediation process addresses.
Untrusted serialized data can be deserialized and observed inside the chamber, blocking gadget-chain exploitation outside the sandbox.
Validates or rejects untrusted serialized data before deserialization occurs.
Identifies and blocks malicious code introduced through deserialization of untrusted data at system boundaries.
Integrity verification of serialized information can detect tampering before deserialization occurs.
Provenance of associated data allows detection of untrusted sources before deserialization or processing occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing includes validation of deserialization routines and the use of untrusted data, reducing the likelihood that unsafe object reconstruction will be deployed.
Requiring vetted libraries, regular updates and SAST before release reduces the likelihood that deserialization logic will accept and act on attacker-controlled serialized objects.
Regular scanning of third-party libraries and timely patching reduce the likelihood that unsafe deserialization vulnerabilities remain active.
Mandatory malware scanning of data received over networks or storage media intercepts malicious serialized payloads before they are deserialized by the target application.