CVE-2010-5138 in bitcoind
Summary
by MITRE
wxBitcoin and bitcoind 0.3.x allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (electricity consumption) via a Bitcoin transaction containing multiple OP_CHECKSIG script opcodes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-5138 represents a significant denial of service weakness affecting early versions of bitcoin infrastructure software including wxBitcoin and bitcoind 0.3.x. This flaw specifically targets the transaction processing mechanism within these bitcoin implementations, creating a scenario where malicious actors can exploit the system's handling of script operations to consume excessive computational resources. The vulnerability operates through a carefully crafted transaction that contains multiple OP_CHECKSIG script opcodes, which are fundamental operations used in bitcoin's scripting language for verifying digital signatures. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can lead to excessive electricity consumption and system resource exhaustion, effectively rendering the affected nodes unable to process legitimate transactions or maintain network connectivity.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inefficient processing of multiple OP_CHECKSIG operations within bitcoin transaction scripts. When a transaction contains numerous OP_CHECKSIG opcodes, the bitcoin implementation must perform signature verification operations for each opcode sequentially. This creates a computational overhead that grows linearly with the number of opcodes present in the transaction. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-400 as a resource exhaustion condition where the system's processing capabilities are consumed excessively. The flaw demonstrates a classic example of algorithmic complexity issues in cryptographic systems where legitimate operations can be exploited to create resource consumption that exceeds normal operational parameters. The vulnerability affects the core transaction validation process, which is fundamental to maintaining the integrity and security of the bitcoin network.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a serious threat to bitcoin network stability and can be exploited by attackers to disrupt network operations through resource exhaustion. The electricity consumption aspect of the denial of service is particularly concerning as it can lead to increased operational costs for node operators while simultaneously reducing the network's overall processing capacity. Attackers can craft transactions that appear legitimate but contain excessive script operations, causing nodes to spend disproportionate amounts of time and computational resources verifying these transactions. The impact extends to the broader bitcoin ecosystem as network nodes may become unresponsive or slow to process legitimate transactions, potentially affecting the entire network's performance and reliability. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and resource management in cryptographic software implementations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-5138 focus on implementing transaction size and script complexity limits to prevent the processing of overly resource-intensive transactions. Network operators should upgrade to patched versions of bitcoin software that implement proper validation limits on script operations and transaction complexity. The implementation of rate limiting mechanisms and transaction filtering can help prevent the propagation of malicious transactions through the network. Security measures should include monitoring for unusual transaction patterns and implementing automated systems to detect and reject transactions containing excessive OP_CHECKSIG operations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service, while also demonstrating elements of T1583.001 related to resource development through the exploitation of computational inefficiencies. Organizations should also implement proper input sanitization and validation to prevent the execution of resource-intensive operations that could lead to system degradation or complete service disruption.