Summary
Cosmos SDK: x/group can halt when erroring in EndBlocker
Name: ISA-2025-002: x/group can halt when erroring in EndBlocker
Component: CosmosSDK
Criticality: High (Considerable Impact; Likely Likelihood per ACMv1.2)
Affected versions: <= v0.47.16, <= 0.50.12
Affected users: Validators, Full nodes, Users on chains that utilize the groups module
Cosmos SDK chains in unpatched releases that use the x/group module are affected.
Description
An issue was discovered in the groups module where malicious proposals would result in an errors triggered in the module's end blocker that could result in a chain halt. Any set of users that can interact with the groups module could introduce this state.
Testing
Testing we have done to gain more confidence in this release:
In addition to testing Cosmos SDK we also did the following:
- Ran a patched node in a local
v0.50testnet with the failing state and did not halt (an unpatched network confirmed to halt) - Ran a patched node on Xion Mainnet (uses
x/group) - Ran a patched node on Zetachain Mainnet (uses
x/xgroup)
Workarounds
Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?
There are no known workarounds for this issue. It is advised that chains apply the update.
This issue was reported to the Cosmos Bug Bounty Program by wbowling on HackerOne on February 28, 2025. If you believe you have found a bug in the Interchain Stack or would like to contribute to the program by reporting a bug, please see https://hackerone.com/cosmos.
If you have questions about Interchain security efforts, please reach out to our official communication channel at [email protected]. For more information about the Interchain Foundation’s engagement with Amulet, and to sign up for security notification emails, please see https://github.com/interchainio/security.
Impact
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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See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?
The new Cosmos SDK release v0.50.13 and v0.47.17 fix this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG? GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk (go), affecting versions >= 0.50.0-alpha.0, <= 0.50.12. It is fixed in 0.50.13, 0.47.17.
- Which versions of github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk are affected by GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG? github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk (go) versions >= 0.50.0-alpha.0, <= 0.50.12 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG? Yes. GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG is fixed in 0.50.13, 0.47.17. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG 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 GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG 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 GHSA-47WW-FF84-4JRG?
- Upgrade
github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdkto 0.50.13 or later - Upgrade
github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdkto 0.47.17 or later
- Upgrade