GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability in github.com/microstack-tech/parallax. A fix is available for github.com/microstack-tech/parallax — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Parallax is vulnerable to DoS via malicious p2p message
Real-World Exposure
github.com/microstack-tech/parallaxReal-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
A vulnerable node can be made to consume very large amounts of memory when handling specially crafted p2p messages sent from an attacker node.
In order to carry out the attack, the attacker establishes a peer connections to the victim, and sends a malicious GetBlockHeadersRequest message with a count of 0, using the Parallax protocol.
In descendants := chain.GetHeadersFrom(num+count-1, count-1), the value of count-1 is passed to the function GetHeadersFrom(number, count uint64) as parameter count. Due to integer overflow, UINT64_MAX value is then passed as the count argument to function GetHeadersFrom(number, count uint64). This allows an attacker to bypass maxHeadersServe and request all headers from the latest block back to the genesis block.
Patches
The fix has been included in the Parallax client version 0.1.4 and onwards.
The vulnerability was patched in: https://github.com/microstack-tech/parallax/commit/f759e9090aaf00a43c616d7cbd133c44bb1ed01e
Workarounds
No workarounds have been made public.
Credit
This issue was disclosed responsibly by DongHan Kim via the Ethereum bug bounty program, the cooperation is appreciated.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/microstack-tech/parallax | all versions | 0.1.4go get github.com/microstack-tech/parallax@v0.1.4 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/microstack-tech/parallax, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/microstack-tech/parallax to 0.1.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx 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-xc79-566c-j4qx can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx. 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-xc79-566c-j4qx in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-xc79-566c-j4qx across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.