HTLC outcome manipulation via transaction-relay jamming
Published Dec 9, 2024 · Updated Mar 4, 2025
Transaction-relay jamming in Bitcoin Core 27.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to delay time-sensitive Lightning transactions. The relay path fee-rate sorts m_tx_inventory_to_send but drains only INVENTORY_BROADCAST_MAX entries, letting higher-fee junk keep a target transaction unannounced. Exploitation requires control of many inbound peers and sustained transaction flooding, allowing an adverse channel counterparty to claim funds after the HTLC timelock expires.
Summary
What happened
Transaction-relay jamming in Bitcoin Core 27.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to delay time-sensitive Lightning transactions. The relay path fee-rate sorts m_tx_inventory_to_send but drains only INVENTORY_BROADCAST_MAX entries, letting higher-fee junk keep a target transaction unannounced. Exploitation requires control of many inbound peers and sustained transaction flooding, allowing an adverse channel counterparty to claim funds after the HTLC timelock expires.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-55563
- Published
- Dec 9, 2024
- Updated
- Mar 4, 2025
- Vendor
- Unknown vendor
- Product
- Unknown product
- Classifications
- CWE-770, T1498
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 9, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Mar 4, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- High-overflow transaction-relay proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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