CVE-2023-40015 is a low-severity (CVSS 3.7) CWE-670 vulnerability in vyper. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. The records list no fixed version yet; check the vendor advisory below and apply the mitigations in the meantime.
Vyper: reversed order of side effects for some operations
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-40015.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
vyperReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
For the following (probably non-exhaustive) list of expressions, the compiler evaluates the arguments from right to left instead of left to right.
- unsafe_add
- unsafe_sub
- unsafe_mul
- unsafe_div
- pow_mod256
- |, &, ^ (bitwise operators)
- bitwise_or (deprecated)
- bitwise_and (deprecated)
- bitwise_xor (deprecated)
- raw_call
- <, >, <=, >=, ==, !=
- in, not in (when lhs and rhs are enums)
This behaviour becomes a problem when the evaluation of one of the arguments produces side effects that other arguments depend on. The following expressions can produce side-effect:
- state modifying external call
- state modifying internal call
raw_callpop()when used on a Dynamic Array stored in the storagecreate_minimal_proxy_tocreate_copy_ofcreate_from_blueprint
For example:
f:uint256
@internal
def side_effect() -> uint256:
self.f = 12
return 1
@external
def foo() -> uint256:
return unsafe_add(self.f,self.side_effect()) # returns 13 instead of 1
a:DynArray[uint256, 12]
@external
def bar() -> bool:
self.a = [1,2,3]
return len(self.a) == self.a.pop() # return false instead of true
Patches
not yet patched, will address in a future release. tracking in https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/issues/3604.
Workarounds
When using expressions from the list above, make sure that the arguments of the expression do not produce side effects or, if one does, that no other argument is dependent on those side effects.
References
Are there any links users can visit to find out more?
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | vyper | all versions | No fix |
Affected Products
vypervyperlangResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for vyper, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
The records we use list no patched version of vyper for CVE-2023-40015. Check the maintainer's advisory, and where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-40015 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.