Summary
mx-chain-go does not treat invalid transaction with wrong username correctly
Workarounds
No
References
No
Impact
Metachain cannot process a cross-shard miniblock.
An invalid transaction with the wrong username on metachain is not treated correctly on the metachain transaction processor. This is strictly a processing issue that could have happened on MultiversX chain. If an error like this had occurred, the metachain would have stopped notarizing blocks from the shard chains. The resuming of notarization is possible only after applying a patched binary version.
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-2023-33964 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (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 (1.4.16); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Introduce processIfTxErrorCrossShard for metachain transaction processor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-33964? CVE-2023-33964 is a high-severity improper input validation vulnerability in github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go (go), affecting versions < 1.4.16. It is fixed in 1.4.16. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
- How severe is CVE-2023-33964? CVE-2023-33964 has a CVSS score of 8.6 (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.
- Which versions of github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go are affected by CVE-2023-33964? github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-go (go) versions < 1.4.16 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-33964? Yes. CVE-2023-33964 is fixed in 1.4.16. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-33964 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-33964 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2023-33964 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-33964? Upgrade
github.com/multiversx/mx-chain-goto 1.4.16 or later.