GHSA-jcqq-g64v-gcm7
HIGHPrevious ATX is not checked to be the newest valid ATX by Smesher when validating incoming ATX
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.
Blast Radius
github.com/spacemeshos/go-spacemesh🐹github.com/spacemeshos/apiReal-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
Impact
Nodes can publish ATXs which reference the incorrect previous ATX of the Smesher that created the ATX. ATXs are expected to form a single chain from the newest to the first ATX ever published by an identity. Allowing Smeshers to reference an earlier (but not the latest) ATX as previous breaks this protocol rule and can serve as an attack vector where Nodes are rewarded for holding their PoST data for less than one epoch but still being eligible for rewards.
Patches
- API needs to be extended to be able to fetch events from a node that dected malicious behavior of this regard by the node
- go-spacemesh needs to be patched to a) not allow publishing these ATXs any more and b) create malfeasance proofs for identities that published invalid ATXs in the past.
Workarounds
n/a
References
Spacemesh protocol whitepaper: https://spacemesh.io/blog/spacemesh-white-paper-1/, specifically sections 4.4.2 ("ATX Contents") and 4.4.3 ("ATX validity")
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/spacemeshos/go-spacemesh | all versions | 1.5.2-hotfix1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/spacemeshos/api | all versions | 1.37.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/spacemeshos/go-spacemesh. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/spacemeshos/go-spacemesh to 1.5.2-hotfix1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-jcqq-g64v-gcm7 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-jcqq-g64v-gcm7 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-jcqq-g64v-gcm7. 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-jcqq-g64v-gcm7 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-jcqq-g64v-gcm7 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.