CVE-2022-39389

Witness Block Parsing DoS Vulnerability

Workarounds

Nodes can use the lncli updatechanpolicy RPC call to increase their CLTV value to a very high amount or increase their fee policies. This will prevent nodes from routing through your node, meaning that no pending HTLCs can be present.

References

https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/issues/7096

https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/releases/tag/v0.15.4-beta

All lnd nodes before version v0.15.4 are vulnerable to a block parsing bug that can cause a node to enter a degraded state once encountered. In this degraded state, nodes can continue to make payments and forward HTLCs, and close out channels. Opening channels is prohibited, and also on chain transaction events will be undetected.

This can cause loss of funds if a CSV expiry is researched during a breach attempt or a CLTV delta expires forgetting the funds in the HTLC.

The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths. Typical impact: varies by context: data corruption, logic bypass, or denial of service.

CVE-2022-39389 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). 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 (0.15.4-beta); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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A patch is available starting with lnd v0.15.4.

1. What is CVE-2022-39389? CVE-2022-39389 is a high-severity improper input validation vulnerability in github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd (go), affecting versions < 0.15.4-beta. It is fixed in 0.15.4-beta. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-39389? CVE-2022-39389 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). 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 github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd are affected by CVE-2022-39389? github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd (go) versions < 0.15.4-beta is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-39389? Yes. CVE-2022-39389 is fixed in 0.15.4-beta. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-39389 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-39389 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-2022-39389 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-2022-39389? Upgrade github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd to 0.15.4-beta or later.

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd