CVE-2022-23327: Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pvx3-gm3c-gmpr
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23327 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves denial of service in go-ethereum. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-23327 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23327
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pvx3-gm3c-gmpr
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
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:3.1/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-2022-23327

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: Latest secure release 
Upgrade github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum to Latest secure release
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-2022-23327, 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 the patched release), 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

A design flaw in Go-Ethereum 1.10.12 and older versions allows an attacker node to send 5120 future transactions with a high gas price in one message, which can purge all of pending transactions in a victim node's memory pool, causing a denial of service (DoS).

CVE-2022-23327 Affected Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
golang/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
Go
≤ 1.10.12

References

NVD — CVE-2022-23327 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23327
dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/346... WEB
https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3460120.3485369
Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum
nrdax.com/techniques/nrdax-t0... WEB
https://nrdax.com/techniques/NRDAX-T0156-mempool-pending-eviction-flood
tristartom.github.io/docs/ccs21.pdf WEB
https://tristartom.github.io/docs/ccs21.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23327?
CVE-2022-23327 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum involving Denial of Service in Go-Ethereum under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Github.com/ethereum/go ethereum versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23327?
Upgrading to current release patches (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 Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23327?
CVE-2022-23327 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:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23327?
CVE-2022-23327 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-2022-23327?
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-pvx3-gm3c-gmpr",
  "modified" : "2026-09-02T22:05:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-03-05T00:00:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23327" ],
  "summary" : "Denial of Service in Go-Ethereum",
  "details" : "A design flaw in Go-Ethereum 1.10.12 and older versions allows an attacker node to send 5120 future transactions with a high gas price in one message, which can purge all of pending transactions in a victim node's memory pool, causing a denial of service (DoS).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/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"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.10.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23327"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3460120.3485369"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://nrdax.com/techniques/NRDAX-T0156-mempool-pending-eviction-flood"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://tristartom.github.io/docs/ccs21.pdf"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-03-09T19:20:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-03-04T12:15:00Z"
  }
}