CVE-2022-36025

Besu VM vulnerable to gas allocation error in CALL operations

Workarounds

Reverting to version 22.1.3 or earlier will prevent incorrect execution. However many ethereum mainnet networks require changes in more recent versions of Besu and should not use older versions of besu and should instead use the patched version.

Ethereum Classic and other networks not depending on a Proof of Stake transition should function fine with version 22.1.3 or earlier.

For more information

Issue was found by Martin Holst Swende using goevmlab, it is believed that no production networks have transactions that would trigger this failure.

An error in 32 bit signed and unsigned types in the calculation of available gas in the CALL operations (including DELEGATECALL) results in incorrect gas being passed into called contracts and incorrect gas being returned after call execution. Where the amount of gas makes a difference in the success or failure, or if the gas is a negative 64 bit value, the execution will result in a different state root than expected, resulting in a consensus failure in networks with multiple EVM implementations.

In networks with a single EVM implementation this can be used to execute with significantly more gas than then transaction requested, possibly exceeding gas limitations.

CVE-2022-36025 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (22.7.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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Version 22.7.1 contains a fix, ensuring that excess gas will not be allocated to inner transaction calls and correcting the excess gas errors.

1. What is CVE-2022-36025? CVE-2022-36025 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in org.hyperledger.besu:evm (maven), affecting versions >= 22.4.0-RC1, < 22.7.1. It is fixed in 22.7.1.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-36025? CVE-2022-36025 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of org.hyperledger.besu:evm are affected by CVE-2022-36025? org.hyperledger.besu:evm (maven) versions >= 22.4.0-RC1, < 22.7.1 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-36025? Yes. CVE-2022-36025 is fixed in 22.7.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-36025 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-36025 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-36025 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-36025? Upgrade org.hyperledger.besu:evm to 22.7.1 or later.