Vulnerabilities in pkg:golang/github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-876p-8259-xjgg
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-39533 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large rsa keys. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.27.8, 0.28.2, 0.29.1.

3 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:golang/github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p

3 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:golang/github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-876p-8259-xjgg CVE-2023-39533 HIGH libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys
GHSA-gcq9-qqwx-rgj3 CVE-2023-40583 HIGH libp2p nodes vulnerable to OOM attack
GHSA-j7qp-mfxf-8xjw CVE-2022-23492 HIGH libp2p DoS vulnerability from lack of resource management

CVE-2023-39533 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-39533
GHSA Identifier GHSA-876p-8259-xjgg
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Affected Product Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p
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-2023-39533

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p 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/libp2p/go-libp2p fixed: 0.27.8 
Upgrade github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p to 0.27.8
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p fixed: 0.28.2 
Upgrade github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p to 0.28.2
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p fixed: 0.29.1 
Upgrade github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p to 0.29.1
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/libp2p/go-libp2p

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-39533, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p:

inspect dependencies for github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.27.8), 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-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. In Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p, 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 A malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p now restricts RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. ### Patches Users should upgrade their go-libp2p versions to >=v0.27.8, >= v0.28.2, or >=v0.29.1 To protect your application, it's necessary to update to these patch releases **AND** to use the updated Go compiler (1.20.7 or 1.19.12, respectively) ### Workarounds There are no known workarounds ### References The Golang crypto/tls package also had this vulnerability ("verifying certificate chains containing large RSA keys is slow” https://github.com/golang/go/issues/61460) Fix in golang/go crypto/tls: https://github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017 Fix in quic-go https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012

CVE-2023-39533 Affected Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.27.80.28.20.29.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
golang/github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
< 0.27.8
0.27.8
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
golang/github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
≥ 0.28.0
< 0.28.2
0.28.2
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
golang/github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
≥ 0.29.0
< 0.29.1
All 1 versions
0.29.0
0.29.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/security/advisories/GHSA-876p-8259-xjgg
NVD — CVE-2023-39533 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-39533
Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/golang/go/issues/61460
Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/pull/2454
Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/0cce607219f3710addc7e18672cffd1f1d912fbb
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/445be526aea4ee0b1fa5388aa65d32b2816d3a00
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/e30fcf7dfd4715ed89a5e68d7a4f774d3b9aa92d
Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
go.dev/issue/61460 WEB
https://go.dev/issue/61460
nrdax.com/techniques/nrdax-t0... WEB
https://nrdax.com/techniques/NRDAX-T0205-pre-handshake-crypto-cpu-burn

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-39533?
CVE-2023-39533 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p involving libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Github.com/libp2p/go libp2p versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.27.8, 0.28.2, 0.29.1 across affected packages: github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p.
What version fixes CVE-2023-39533?
Upgrading to 0.27.8, 0.28.2, 0.29.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p affected?
Yes, github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p is affected in releases prior to 0.27.8, 0.28.2, 0.29.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.27.8, 0.28.2, 0.29.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-39533?
CVE-2023-39533 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-2023-39533?
CVE-2023-39533 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-39533?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p'. 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-876p-8259-xjgg",
  "modified" : "2026-09-01T21:35:26Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-09T13:18:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-39533" ],
  "summary" : "libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys",
  "details" : "### Impact\nA malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step.\nTo prevent this attack, go-libp2p now restricts RSA keys to <= 8192 bits.\n\n### Patches\nUsers should upgrade their go-libp2p versions to >=v0.27.8, >= v0.28.2, or >=v0.29.1\nTo protect your application, it's necessary to update to these patch releases **AND** to use the updated Go compiler (1.20.7 or 1.19.12, respectively)\n\n### Workarounds\nThere are no known workarounds\n\n### References\nThe Golang crypto/tls package also had this vulnerability (\"verifying certificate chains containing large RSA keys is slow” https://github.com/golang/go/issues/61460)\nFix in golang/go crypto/tls: https://github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017\nFix in quic-go https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012",
  "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" : [ {
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
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  }, {
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    },
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        "introduced" : "0.28.0"
      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
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    "ranges" : [ {
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      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
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    } ],
    "versions" : [ "0.29.0" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-39533"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/golang/go/issues/61460"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/pull/2454"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/0cce607219f3710addc7e18672cffd1f1d912fbb"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/445be526aea4ee0b1fa5388aa65d32b2816d3a00"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/commit/e30fcf7dfd4715ed89a5e68d7a4f774d3b9aa92d"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://go.dev/issue/61460"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://nrdax.com/techniques/NRDAX-T0205-pre-handshake-crypto-cpu-burn"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-08T19:15:10Z"
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}