OpenZeppelin Contracts initializer reentrancy may lead to double initialization
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · Low · Low
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
OpenZeppelin Contracts is a library for secure smart contract development. Before version 4.4.1 but after 3.2.0, initializer functions that are invoked separate from contract creation (the most prominent example being minimal proxies) may be reentered if they make an untrusted non-view external call. Once an initializer has finished running it can never be re-executed. However, an exception put in place to support multiple inheritance made reentrancy possible in the scenario described above, breaking the expectation that there is a single execution. Note that upgradeable proxies are commonly initialized together with contract creation, where reentrancy is not feasible, so the impact of this issue is believed to be minor. This issue has been patched, please upgrade to version 4.4.1. As a workaround, avoid untrusted external calls during initialization.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenZeppelin | openzeppelin-contracts | 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 | 4.4.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | @openzeppelin/contracts (npm) | 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 | 4.4.1 | Patch available | GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx |
| — | @openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable (npm) | 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 | 4.4.1 | Patch available | GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx |
- openzeppelin-contracts VendorOpenZeppelin Affected 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 Fixed in 4.4.1 Patch available CNA
- @openzeppelin/contracts (npm) Vendor— Affected 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 Fixed in 4.4.1 Patch available GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx
- @openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable (npm) Vendor— Affected 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 Fixed in 4.4.1 Patch available GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:openzeppelin:contracts:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* | 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 | Vulnerable | OpenZeppelin |
| cpe:2.3:a:openzeppelin:contracts_upgradeable:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* | 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 | Vulnerable | OpenZeppelin |
- cpe:2.3:a:openzeppelin:contracts:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* Versions 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 Vulnerable ·OpenZeppelin
- cpe:2.3:a:openzeppelin:contracts_upgradeable:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* Versions 3.2.0 to before 4.4.1 Vulnerable ·OpenZeppelin
Remediation
- Fix · CNA openzeppelin-contracts (OpenZeppelin) Fixed in 4.4.1
- Fix · GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx @openzeppelin/contracts (npm) Fixed in 4.4.1 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx @openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable (npm) Fixed in 4.4.1 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2022-39384
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx
- 2026-11-01 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
References
More OpenZeppelin Contracts vulnerabilities
- TI-2022-13196 OpenZeppelin Contracts for Cairo account cannot process transactions on Goerli CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
- TI-2021-16554 TimelockController vulnerability in OpenZeppelin Contracts CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2021-16553 TimelockController vulnerability in OpenZeppelin Contracts CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2021-18096 UUPSUpgradeable vulnerability in OpenZeppelin Contracts CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-13238 GovernorVotesQuorumFraction updates to quorum may affect past defeated proposals in @openzeppelin/contracts CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2022-13212 OpenZeppelin Contracts's ERC165Checker may revert instead of returning false CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2022-39384 · CVE Program
- CVE-2022-39384 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9c22-pwxw-p6hx · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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