CVE-2024-52915Network attack vector

Remote node crash via amplified GETHEADERS buffering

Published Nov 18, 2024 · Updated Nov 18, 2024

Resource exhaustion in Bitcoin Core before 0.20.0 allows remote attackers to crash nodes through a crafted INV message. In ProcessMessages(), one INV containing 50,000 block entries queues 50,000 roughly 1 KB GETHEADERS responses when the peer refuses to read them. An unauthenticated P2P peer can consume about 50 MB per connection, and concurrent peers can exhaust memory and terminate the node.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.65%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource exhaustion in Bitcoin Core before 0.20.0 allows remote attackers to crash nodes through a crafted INV message. In ProcessMessages(), one INV containing 50,000 block entries queues 50,000 roughly 1 KB GETHEADERS responses when the peer refuses to read them. An unauthenticated P2P peer can consume about 50 MB per connection, and concurrent peers can exhaust memory and terminate the node.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-52915
Published
Nov 18, 2024
Updated
Nov 18, 2024
Vendor
Bitcoin
Product
Bitcoin Core
Classifications
CWE-770, T1499.003
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 18, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 18, 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 <0.20.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Bitcoin · Bitcoin Coreversion=0 <0.20.0

Published CVSS scores

7.5CISA-ADPCVSS: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

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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

CWE-770Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
T1499.003Application Exhaustion Flood

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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