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TI-2026-83294 Aliases CVE-2026-62162

Missing authorization in Hydra Deposit Claim enables fund redirection

Priority LOW 36CWE-862Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
Present
Impact type
Security bypass
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · High · None
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-862.

Summary

Hydra by cardano-scaling before 2.1.0 has a missing authorization flaw (CWE-862) in the Claim branch of its deposit validator. The branch checks the Head ID but does not require spending the Head state-token UTxO, so a deposit can be spent without invoking the Head validator's safety checks. An unauthenticated remote attacker who can build a Cardano transaction can spend a pending deposit before its deadline and redirect the assets to an arbitrary address.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-31

Description from the CNA

Hydra is a layer-two scalability solution for Cardano. Prior to 2.1.0, the `Claim` branch in `hydra-plutus/validators/deposit.ak` checks only that `datum.head_id` matches the attacker-controlled `redeemer.currencySymbol` and that the transaction is valid before the deposit deadline. It neither requires spending the Head state-token UTxO in the same transaction nor constrains outputs. After a deposit made through `POST /commit` is confirmed, any third party able to build a Cardano transaction can observe and consume the pending deposit UTxO before its deadline and redirect the assets to an arbitrary address. A standalone deposit spend invokes no Head validator, bypassing its safety checks; historical head-ID binding and the Aiken rewrite retained this missing invariant. The default deadline is three times depositPeriod, so the described attack applies to pending deposits before that deadline. This issue is fixed in version 2.1.0.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00367 30th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed hydra (cardano-scaling): 2.1.0

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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
cardano-scalinghydrabefore 2.1.02.1.0Patch availableCNA
  • hydra Vendorcardano-scaling Affected before 2.1.0 Fixed in 2.1.0 Patch available CNA

Remediation

Upgrade Hydra to version 2.1.0, which fixes this issue.

Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-31

  • Fix · CNA hydra (cardano-scaling) Fixed in 2.1.0

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat's page for this CVE →

Not affected: 1 product
  • Red Hat

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-30 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-62162
  2. 2026-10-30 CISA SSVC decision points changed
  3. 2026-10-30 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
  4. 2026-10-31 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
  5. 2026-10-31 CVSS score added · Red Hat

References

  • TI-2025-31036 hydra-node dangerously assumes L1 event finality and does not consider failed transactions CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.8

Sources