GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) vulnerability in github.com/btcsuite/btcd. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/btcsuite/btcd — see the affected versions and patch details below.
btcd mishandles witness size checking
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- 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 GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38.
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
GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38 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 377,166 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/btcsuite/btcd🐹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
btcd before 0.23.2, as used in Lightning Labs lnd before 0.15.2-beta and other Bitcoin-related products, mishandles witness size checking.
Specific Go Packages Affected
github.com/btcsuite/btcd/wire
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/btcsuite/btcd | all versions | 0.23.2go get github.com/btcsuite/btcd@v0.23.2 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd | all versions | 0.15.2-betago get github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd@v0.15.2-beta |
Research 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 github.com/btcsuite/btcd, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/btcsuite/btcd to 0.23.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38 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 GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-2chg-86hq-7w38 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.