CVE-2024-32972Network attack vector

Memory exhaustion via zero-count block-header request

Published May 6, 2024 · Updated Aug 2, 2024

Denial of service in Ethereum Foundation go-ethereum before 1.13.15 allows remote attackers to exhaust node memory via an ETH request. A zero count in GetBlockHeadersRequest underflows count-1 to UINT64_MAX before GetHeadersFrom receives it, bypassing maxHeadersServe and retrieving headers back to genesis. The attacker must establish a P2P peer connection; sustained memory growth can interrupt the victim node when available memory is exhausted.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.85%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in Ethereum Foundation go-ethereum before 1.13.15 allows remote attackers to exhaust node memory via an ETH request. A zero count in GetBlockHeadersRequest underflows count-1 to UINT64_MAX before GetHeadersFrom receives it, bypassing maxHeadersServe and retrieving headers back to genesis. The attacker must establish a P2P peer connection; sustained memory growth can interrupt the victim node when available memory is exhausted.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-32972
Published
May 6, 2024
Updated
Aug 2, 2024
Vendor
Ethereum Foundation
Product
go-ethereum
Classifications
T1499.002
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 6, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 2, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <1.13.15
  2. Affected versionversion=< 1.13.15

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Ethereum Foundation · go-ethereumversion=0 <1.13.15; version=< 1.13.15

Published CVSS scores

7.5GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.002Service Exhaustion

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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