CVE-2026-22868: Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mq3p-rrmp-79jg
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CWE-400 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-22868 is a HIGH denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves go-ethereum is vulnerable to high cpu usage leading to dos via malicious p2p message. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.16.8.

CVE-2026-22868 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-22868
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mq3p-rrmp-79jg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-22868

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum fixed: 1.16.8 
Upgrade github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum to 1.16.8
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-22868, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum:

inspect dependencies for github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.16.8), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

**Impact** An attacker can cause high CPU usage by sending a specially crafted p2p message. More details to be released later. **Credit** This issue was reported to the Ethereum Foundation Bug Bounty Program by @Yenya030

CVE-2026-22868 Affected Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.16.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
golang/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
Go
< 1.16.8
1.16.8

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/security/advisories/GHSA-mq3p-rrmp-79jg
NVD — CVE-2026-22868 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22868
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/commit/abeb78c647e354ed922726a1d719ac7bc64a07e2
Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-22868?
CVE-2026-22868 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum involving go-ethereum is vulnerable to high CPU usage leading to DoS via malicious p2p message under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.16.8 across affected packages: github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum.
What version fixes CVE-2026-22868?
Upgrading to 1.16.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum affected?
Yes, github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum is affected in releases prior to 1.16.8. Upgrade your dependency to 1.16.8 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-22868?
CVE-2026-22868 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2026-22868?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-mq3p-rrmp-79jg",
  "modified" : "2026-01-13T21:55:29Z",
  "published" : "2026-01-13T21:55:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-22868" ],
  "summary" : "go-ethereum is vulnerable to high CPU usage leading to DoS via malicious p2p message",
  "details" : "**Impact**\n\nAn attacker can cause high CPU usage by sending a specially crafted p2p message.\nMore details to be released later.\n\n**Credit**\n\nThis issue was reported to the Ethereum Foundation Bug Bounty Program by @Yenya030",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.16.8"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.16.7"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/security/advisories/GHSA-mq3p-rrmp-79jg"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-22868"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/commit/abeb78c647e354ed922726a1d719ac7bc64a07e2"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-01-13T21:55:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-01-13T21:15:54Z"
  }
}