GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r Panic in wasmvm can slow down block production

Not scored Published 10 Dec 2024

A panic in the CosmWasm VM library can slow down block production, causing a denial of service for blockchain networks using affected versions.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r?

GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r is a denial of service vulnerability in github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm, published on 10 Dec 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

CWA-2024-008

Severity

Medium (Moderate + Likely)¹

Affected versions:

wasmvm >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.3
wasmvm >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.4
wasmvm < 1.5.5
cosmwasm-vm >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.4
cosmwasm-vm >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.7
cosmwasm-vm < 1.5.8

Patched versions:

wasmvm 1.5.5, 2.0.4, 2.1.3
cosmwasm-vm 1.5.8, 2.0.7, 2.1.4

Description of the bug

(Blank for now. We'll add more detail once chains had a chance to upgrade.)

Patch

Applying the patch

The patch will be shipped in releases of wasmvm. You can update more or less as follows:

Check the current wasmvm version: go list -m github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm
Bump the github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm dependency in your go.mod to 1.5.5, 2.0.4, 2.1.3 depending on which minor version you are; go mod tidy; commit.
If you use the static libraries libwasmvm_muslc.aarch64.a/libwasmvm_muslc.x86_64.a, update them accordingly.
Check the updated wasmvm version: go list -m github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm and ensure you see 1.5.5, 2.0.4, 2.1.3.
Follow your regular practices to deploy chain upgrades.

To double check if the correct library version is loaded at runtime, use this query: <appd> query wasm libwasmvm-version. It must show 1.5.5, 2.0.4 or 2.1.3.

The patch is consensus breaking and requires a coordinated upgrade.

Acknowledgement

This issue was found by meadow101 who reported it to the Cosmos Bug Bounty Program on HackerOne.

If you believe you have found a bug in the Interchain Stack or would like to contribute to the program by reporting a bug, please see <https://hackerone.com/cosmos>.

Timeline

2024-08-22: Confio receives a report through the Cosmos bug bounty program maintained by Amulet.
2024-08-23: Confio security contributors confirm the report.
2024-09-09: Confio developed the patch internally.
2024-09-23: Patch is released.

following Amulet's Severity Classification Framework ACMv1: https://github.com/interchainio/security/blob/e0227a1fb4059144aab4f6003eeee7f09912db3a/resources/CLASSIFICATION_MATRIX.md ↩︎

Which versions are affected by GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r?

12 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2, github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm and cosmwasm-vm.

Package	Affected	Fixed in
`github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2` Go	From `2.0.0`	`2.0.4`
`github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2` Go	From `2.0.0`	`2.0.4`
`github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2` Go	From `2.1.0`	`2.1.3`
`github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2` Go	From `2.1.0`	`2.1.3`
`github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm` Go	All versions	`1.5.5`
`github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm` Go	All versions	`1.5.5`

6 more packages

`cosmwasm-vm` crates.io	All versions	`1.5.8`
`cosmwasm-vm` crates.io	All versions	`1.5.8`
`cosmwasm-vm` crates.io	From `2.0.0`	`2.0.7`
`cosmwasm-vm` crates.io	From `2.0.0`	`2.0.7`
`cosmwasm-vm` crates.io	From `2.1.0`	`2.1.4`
`cosmwasm-vm` crates.io	From `2.1.0`	`2.1.4`

How do I fix GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r?

Upgrade github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2 to a fixed version for your release line: 2.0.4 or 2.1.3.

Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.

Is GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of GHSA-vmqh-5232-v43r in the wild and no public exploit code.