CVE-2024-38359 — lnd
MEDIUMCVE-2024-38359 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd. A fix is available for github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Lightning Network Daemon Onion Bomb
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-38359.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2024-38359 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,156 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/lightningnetwork/lndReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
The Lightning Network Daemon (lnd) - is a complete implementation of a Lightning Network node. A parsing vulnerability in lnd's onion processing logic and lead to a DoS vector due to excessive memory allocation. The issue was patched in lnd v0.17.0. Users should update to a version > v0.17.0 to be protected. Users unable to upgrade may set the --rejecthtlc CLI flag and also disable forwarding on channels via the UpdateChanPolicyCommand, or disable listening on a public network interface via the --nolisten flag as a mitigation.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd | all versions | 0.17.0-betago get github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd@v0.17.0-beta |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd to 0.17.0-beta or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-38359 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2024-38359 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2024-38359. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-38359 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2024-38359 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.