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wasmvm: Malicious smart contract can crash the chain

Moderate severity GitHub Reviewed Published Feb 4, 2025 in CosmWasm/wasmvm • Updated Feb 4, 2025

Package

gomod github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm (Go)

Affected versions

< 1.5.8

Patched versions

1.5.8
gomod github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm/v2 (Go)
>= 2.0.0, < 2.0.6
>= 2.1.0, < 2.1.5
>= 2.2.0, < 2.2.2
2.0.6
2.1.5
2.2.2

Description

CWA-2025-001

Severity

Medium (Moderate + Likely)1

Affected versions:

  • wasmvm >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.2
  • wasmvm >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.5
  • wasmvm >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.6
  • wasmvm < 1.5.8

Patched versions:

  • wasmvm 1.5.8, 2.0.6, 2.1.5, 2.2.2

Description of the bug

The vulnerability can be used to crash the chain. The underlying bug that causes this is present on both permissioned and premissionless chains, but it can only be triggered reliably with a malicious contract, so permissioned chains are much less likely to be affected.

(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:

  1. Check the current wasmvm version: go list -m github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm
  2. Bump the github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm dependency in your go.mod to one of the patched version
    depending on which minor version you are on; go mod tidy; commit.
  3. If you use the static libraries libwasmvm_muslc.aarch64.a/libwasmvm_muslc.x86_64.a, update them accordingly.
  4. Check the updated wasmvm version: go list -m github.com/CosmWasm/wasmvm and ensure you see 1.5.8, 2.0.6, 2.1.5 or 2.2.2.
  5. Follow your regular practices to deploy chain upgrades.

While the fix for this issue is not consensus breaking, the patch contains another
consensus breaking fix 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

  • 2024-11-25: Confio receives a report through the Cosmos bug bounty program maintained by Amulet.
  • 2024-11-28: Confio security contributors confirm the report.
  • 2024-11-28: Confio developed the patch internally.
  • 2025-02-04: Patch gets released.

References

Footnotes

  1. following Amulet's Severity Classification Framework ACMv1.2: https://github.com/interchainio/security/blob/0295254e8645301ccb606d46108a45cede0a73e0/resources/CLASSIFICATION_MATRIX.md

@chipshort chipshort published to CosmWasm/wasmvm Feb 4, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Feb 4, 2025
Reviewed Feb 4, 2025
Last updated Feb 4, 2025

Severity

Moderate

EPSS score

Weaknesses

CVE ID

No known CVE

GHSA ID

GHSA-23qp-3c2m-xx6w

Source code

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