Summary
vyper performs double eval of the slice start/length args in certain cases
Using the slice builtin can result in a double eval vulnerability when the buffer argument is either msg.data, self.code or <address>.code and either the start or length arguments have side-effects.
A contract search was performed and no vulnerable contracts were found in production. Having side-effects in the start and length patterns is also an unusual pattern which is not that likely to show up in user code. It is also much harder (but not impossible!) to trigger the bug since 0.3.4 since the unique symbol fence was introduced (https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/pull/2914).
Details
It can be seen that the _build_adhoc_slice_node function of the slice builtin doesn't cache the mentioned arguments to the stack: https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/blob/4595938734d9988f8e46e8df38049ae0559abedb/vyper/builtins/functions.py#L244
As such, they can be evaluated multiple times (instead of retrieving the value from the stack).
PoC
with Vyper version 0.3.3+commit.48e326f the call to foo passes the asserts:
l: DynArray[uint256, 10]
@external
def foo(cs: String[64]) -> uint256:
for i in range(10):
self.l.append(1)
assert len(self.l) == 10
s: Bytes[64] = b""
s = slice(msg.data, self.l.pop(), 3)
assert len(self.l) == 10 - 2
return len(self.l)
Impact
No vulnerable production contracts were found.
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-2024-32646 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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/3976.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-32646? CVE-2024-32646 is a medium-severity improper input validation vulnerability in vyper (pip), affecting versions < 0.4.0. It is fixed in 0.4.0. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
- How severe is CVE-2024-32646? CVE-2024-32646 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (Medium). 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-2024-32646? vyper (pip) versions < 0.4.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-32646? Yes. CVE-2024-32646 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-32646 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-32646 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-2024-32646 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-2024-32646? Upgrade
vyperto 0.4.0 or later.