Summary
Vyper sha3 codegen bug
There is an error in the stack management when compiling the IR for sha3_64. Concretely, the height variable is miscalculated.
The vulnerability can't be triggered without writing the IR by hand. That is, it cannot be triggered from regular vyper code, it can only be triggered by using the fang binary directly (this binary used to be called vyper-ir prior to v0.3.4).
Details
To compile sha3_64, the arg[0] and arg[1] have to be compiled:
https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/blob/c150fc49ee9375a930d177044559b83cb95f7963/vyper/ir/compile_ir.py#L585-L586
As can be seen, after compiling the 0th arg, the height variable isn't increased. If new withargs are defined in the inner scope, they are manipulated correctly, because both their height is off and also the global height is off and thus their placement on the stack is computed correctly.
sha3_64 is used for retrieval in mappings. No flow that would cache the key was found, the issue shouldn't be possible to trigger when compiling the compiler-generated IR.
PoC
Suppose the following hand-written IR:
(with _loc
(with val 1
(with key 2
(sha3_64 val key)))
(seq
(sstore _loc
(with x (sload _loc)
(with ans (add x 1) (seq (assert (ge ans x)) ans))))))
after compilation:
the generated bytecode: 6001600281806020525f5260405f2090509050805460018101818110610026579050815550005b5f80fd
0000 60 PUSH1 0x01
0002 60 PUSH1 0x02
0004 81 DUP2
0005 80 DUP1 *********** bad code here!!!!!!
0006 60 PUSH1 0x20
0008 52 MSTORE
It can be seen that the second DUP will dup the item on the top of the stack which is incorrect.
Impact
Versions v0.2.0-v0.3.10 were evaluated, and access of the variable with the invalid height is not reachable from IR generated by the vyper front-end. Because the issue isn't triggered during normal compilation of vyper code, the impact is considered low.
The application uses a cryptographic algorithm known to have weaknesses, such as MD5, SHA-1, or DES. Typical impact: compromised confidentiality or integrity of protected data.
CVE-2024-24559 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). 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 (0.4.0); 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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Patched in https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/pull/4063.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-24559? CVE-2024-24559 is a low-severity use of a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm vulnerability in vyper (pip), affecting versions < 0.4.0. It is fixed in 0.4.0. The application uses a cryptographic algorithm known to have weaknesses, such as MD5, SHA-1, or DES.
- How severe is CVE-2024-24559? CVE-2024-24559 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). 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 vyper are affected by CVE-2024-24559? vyper (pip) versions < 0.4.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-24559? Yes. CVE-2024-24559 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-24559 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-24559 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-2024-24559 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-2024-24559? Upgrade
vyperto 0.4.0 or later.