CVE-2018-19184: Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9h4h-8w5p-f28w
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-476
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-19184 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves go ethereum denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.8.14.

CVE-2018-19184 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-19184
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9h4h-8w5p-f28w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
Affected Product Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

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 None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-19184

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: 1.8.14 
Upgrade github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum to 1.8.14
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-2018-19184, 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 1.8.14), 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-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. 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

`cmd/evm/runner.go` in Go Ethereum (aka geth) allows attackers to cause a denial of service (SEGV) via crafted bytecode. ### Specific Go Packages Affected github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/cmd/evm

CVE-2018-19184 Affected Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.8.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
golang/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
Go
< 1.8.14
1.8.14

References

NVD — CVE-2018-19184 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19184
Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/issues/18069
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/commit/83e2761c3a13524bd5d6597ac08994488cf872ef
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/commit/fb9f7261ec51e38eedb454594fc19f00de1a6834

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-19184?
CVE-2018-19184 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum involving Go Ethereum Denial of Service under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.8.14 across affected packages: github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum.
What version fixes CVE-2018-19184?
Upgrading to 1.8.14 (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 1.8.14. Upgrade your dependency to 1.8.14 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-19184?
CVE-2018-19184 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-19184?
CVE-2018-19184 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2018-19184?
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-9h4h-8w5p-f28w",
  "modified" : "2023-10-02T11:53:10Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-29T21:23:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-19184" ],
  "summary" : "Go Ethereum Denial of Service",
  "details" : "`cmd/evm/runner.go` in Go Ethereum (aka geth) allows attackers to cause a denial of service (SEGV) via crafted bytecode.\n### Specific Go Packages Affected\ngithub.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/cmd/evm",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.8.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19184"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/issues/18069"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/commit/83e2761c3a13524bd5d6597ac08994488cf872ef"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/commit/fb9f7261ec51e38eedb454594fc19f00de1a6834"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-20T18:58:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}