GHSA-95rx-m9m5-m94v is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) vulnerability in github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk. A fix is available for github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk — see the affected versions and patch details below.
ASA-2024-006: ValidateVoteExtensions helper function in Cosmos SDK may allow incorrect voting power assumptions
Real-World Exposure
github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdkReal-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
ASA-2024-006: ValidateVoteExtensions helper function may allow incorrect voting power assumptions
Component: Cosmos SDK Criticality: High Affected Versions: Cosmos SDK versions <= 0.50.4, on 0.50 branches Affected Users: Chain developers, Validator and Node operators Impact: Elevation of Privilege
Summary
The default ValidateVoteExtensions helper function infers total voting power based off of the injected VoteExtension, which are injected by the proposer. If your chain utilizes the ValidateVoteExtensions helper in ProcessProposal, a dishonest proposer can potentially mutate voting power of each validator it includes in the injected VoteExtension, which could have potentially unexpected or negative consequences on modified state. Additional validation on injected VoteExtension data was added to confirm voting power against the state machine.
Next Steps for Impacted Parties
If you are a chain developer on an affected version of the Cosmos SDK, it is advised to update to the latest available version of the Cosmos SDK for your project. Once a patched version is available, it is recommended that network operators upgrade.
A Github Security Advisory for this issue is available in the Cosmos-SDK repository. For more information about Cosmos SDK, see https://docs.cosmos.network/.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk | ≥ 0.50.0&&< 0.50.5 | 0.50.5go get github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk@v0.50.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk to 0.50.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-95rx-m9m5-m94v 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-95rx-m9m5-m94v can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-95rx-m9m5-m94v. 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-95rx-m9m5-m94v in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-95rx-m9m5-m94v across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.