CVE-2023-40591
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedgo-ethereum (geth) is a golang execution layer implementation of the Ethereum protocol. A vulnerable node, can be made to consume unbounded amounts of memory when handling specially crafted p2p messages sent from an attacker node. The fix is included in geth version `1.12.1-stable`, i.e, `1.12.2-unstable` and onwards. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA memory exhaustion vulnerability in go-ethereum's p2p networking layer allows an attacker node to send specially crafted messages that cause a vulnerable geth node to consume unbounded amounts of memory, potentially leading to denial of service.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 1.10.0, < 1.12.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check geth versionRun `geth version` and note the version string (e.g., 1.11.5-stable)Affected if The version falls within >= 1.10.0 and < 1.12.1
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Verify p2p networking is enabledInspect running geth process for p2p listeners; check configuration files or command-line flags for `--p2p.*` options or default p2p ports (30303 TCP/UDP)Affected if P2P networking is active and accepting connections from untrusted peers
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Confirm node accepts incoming p2p connectionsReview network configuration for `--nat` setting (any value other than `none` allows inbound) or check if firewall permits inbound connections on p2p portsAffected if The node accepts incoming p2p connections from the network (default behavior)
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Check for custom p2p protocol modulesReview geth logs or configuration for any custom p2p protocol registrations that may be presentAffected if Custom protocols are registered (the vulnerability is in the base p2p layer but affects message handling broadly)
If geth version is between 1.10.0 and 1.12.1 and the node has active p2p networking accepting connections from untrusted peers, it is affected by this memory exhaustion vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped1.12.1
Upgrade geth to version 1.12.1-stable (or 1.12.2-unstable and later). No workarounds are available.
1.12.1-stable or later
- 1. Back up your node data and configuration files before proceeding
- 2. Stop the running geth instance
- 3. Download the fixed version from the official source (github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/releases/tag/v1.12.1)
- 4. Verify the checksum of the downloaded binary matches the published checksum
- 5. Replace the existing geth binary with the new version
- 6. Restart the geth service
- 7. Monitor memory usage to confirm the vulnerability is remediated
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40591 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-40591 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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