Summary
ASA-2024-006: ValidateVoteExtensions helper function in Cosmos SDK may allow incorrect voting power assumptions
ASA-2024-006: ValidateVoteExtensions helper function may allow incorrect voting power assumptions
Component: Cosmos SDK
Criticality: High
Affected Versions: Cosmos SDK versions <= 0.50.4, on 0.50 branches
Affected Users: Chain developers, Validator and Node operators
Impact: Elevation of Privilege
The default ValidateVoteExtensions helper function infers total voting power based off of the injected VoteExtension, which are injected by the proposer. If your chain utilizes the ValidateVoteExtensions helper in ProcessProposal, a dishonest proposer can potentially mutate voting power of each validator it includes in the injected VoteExtension, which could have potentially unexpected or negative consequences on modified state. Additional validation on injected VoteExtension data was added to confirm voting power against the state machine.
Next Steps for Impacted Parties
If you are a chain developer on an affected version of the Cosmos SDK, it is advised to update to the latest available version of the Cosmos SDK for your project. Once a patched version is available, it is recommended that network operators upgrade.
A Github Security Advisory for this issue is available in the Cosmos-SDK repository. For more information about Cosmos SDK, see https://docs.cosmos.network/.
Impact
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.
GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V has a CVSS score of 7.1 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (0.50.5); 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.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V? GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V is a high-severity improper input validation vulnerability in github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk (go), affecting versions >= 0.50.0, <= 0.50.4. It is fixed in 0.50.5. The application does not adequately validate input before processing it, allowing unexpected values to reach sensitive code paths.
- How severe is GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V? GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V has a CVSS score of 7.1 (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/cosmos/cosmos-sdk are affected by GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V? github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk (go) versions >= 0.50.0, <= 0.50.4 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V? Yes. GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V is fixed in 0.50.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-95RX-M9M5-M94V 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-95RX-M9M5-M94V 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-95RX-M9M5-M94V? Upgrade
github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdkto 0.50.5 or later.