Parallax is vulnerable to DoS via malicious p2p message
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from GitHub. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
### Impact A vulnerable node can be made to consume very large amounts of memory when handling specially crafted p2p messages sent from an attacker node. In order to carry out the attack, the attacker establishes a peer connections to the victim, and sends a malicious `GetBlockHeadersRequest` message with a `count` of `0`, using the `Parallax` protocol. In `descendants := chain.GetHeadersFrom(num+count-1, count-1)`, the value of `count-1` is passed to the function `GetHeadersFrom(number, count uint64)` as parameter `count`. Due to integer overflow, `UINT64_MAX` value is then passed as the `count` argument to function `GetHeadersFrom(number, count uint64)`. This allows an attacker to bypass `maxHeadersServe` and request all headers from the latest block back to the genesis block. ### Patches The fix has been included in the Parallax client version `0.1.4` and onwards. The vulnerability was patched in: https://github.com/microstack-tech/parallax/commit/f759e9090aaf00a43c616d7cbd133c44bb1ed01e ### Workarounds No workarounds have been made public. ### Credit This issue was disclosed responsibly by DongHan Kim via the Ethereum bug bounty program, the cooperation is appreciated.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | github.com/microstack-tech/parallax (Go) | before 0.1.4 | 0.1.4 | Patch available | GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx |
- github.com/microstack-tech/parallax (Go) Vendor— Affected before 0.1.4 Fixed in 0.1.4 Patch available GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx github.com/microstack-tech/parallax (Go) Fixed in 0.1.4 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-03 Threatist record created from GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx
References
Other 5
- https://github.com/microstack-tech/parallax/security/advisories/GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx
- https://github.com/microstack-tech/parallax/commit/f759e9090aaf00a43c616d7cbd133c44bb1ed01e
- https://github.com/microstack-tech/parallax
- https://github.com/microstack-tech/parallax/releases/tag/v0.1.4
- https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2025-4019
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences