CVE-2021-25835: Github.com/cosmos/ethermint Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x5f3-qmwj-4f84
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-295 CWE-294
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-25835 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Github.com/cosmos/ethermint libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves authentication bypass by capture-replay in github.com/cosmos/ethermint. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.4.1.

CVE-2021-25835 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-25835
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x5f3-qmwj-4f84
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation
Affected Product Github.com/cosmos/ethermint
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-25835

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/cosmos/ethermint 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/cosmos/ethermint fixed: 0.4.1 
Upgrade github.com/cosmos/ethermint to 0.4.1
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/cosmos/ethermint

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-25835, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/cosmos/ethermint:

inspect dependencies for github.com/cosmos/ethermint

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/cosmos/ethermint in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.4.1), 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-295: Improper Certificate Validation, where the product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. In Github.com/cosmos/ethermint, 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

Cosmos Network Ethermint <= v0.4.0 is affected by a cross-chain transaction replay vulnerability in the EVM module. Since ethermint uses the same chainIDEpoch and signature schemes with ethereum for compatibility, a verified signature in ethereum is still valid in ethermint with the same msg content and chainIDEpoch, which enables "cross-chain transaction replay" attack. ### Specific Go Packages Affected github.com/cosmos/ethermint/rpc/namespaces/eth

CVE-2021-25835 Affected Github.com/cosmos/ethermint Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.4.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/cosmos/ethermint
golang/github.com/cosmos/ethermint
Go
< 0.4.1
0.4.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-25835 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25835
Github.com/cosmos/ethermint Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/issues/687
Github.com/cosmos/ethermint Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/pull/692
Github.com/cosmos/ethermint Release RELEASE
https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/releases/tag/v0.4.1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-25835?
CVE-2021-25835 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/cosmos/ethermint involving Authentication bypass by capture-replay in github.com/cosmos/ethermint under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.
Which Github.com/cosmos/ethermint versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.4.1 across affected packages: github.com/cosmos/ethermint.
What version fixes CVE-2021-25835?
Upgrading to 0.4.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/cosmos/ethermint affected?
Yes, github.com/cosmos/ethermint is affected in releases prior to 0.4.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.4.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25835?
CVE-2021-25835 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-25835?
CVE-2021-25835 is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation (The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2021-25835?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/cosmos/ethermint'. 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-x5f3-qmwj-4f84",
  "modified" : "2023-10-02T11:32:33Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-15T01:57:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-25835" ],
  "summary" : "Authentication bypass by capture-replay in github.com/cosmos/ethermint",
  "details" : "Cosmos Network Ethermint <= v0.4.0 is affected by a cross-chain transaction replay vulnerability in the EVM module. Since ethermint uses the same chainIDEpoch and signature schemes with ethereum for compatibility, a verified signature in ethereum is still valid in ethermint with the same msg content and chainIDEpoch, which enables \"cross-chain transaction replay\" attack.\n\n### Specific Go Packages Affected\ngithub.com/cosmos/ethermint/rpc/namespaces/eth",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/cosmos/ethermint"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.4.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25835"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/issues/687"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/pull/692"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cosmos/ethermint/releases/tag/v0.4.1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-294", "CWE-295" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-12T21:11:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}