CVE-2013-2292 in bitcoind
Summary
by MITRE
bitcoind and Bitcoin-Qt 0.8.0 and earlier allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (electricity consumption) by mining a block to create a nonstandard Bitcoin transaction containing multiple OP_CHECKSIG script opcodes.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-2292 represents a significant denial of service weakness in early versions of the bitcoin protocol implementation. This flaw affects both bitcoind and Bitcoin-Qt client software versions 0.8.0 and earlier, creating a scenario where remote attackers can exploit the system's transaction processing capabilities to consume excessive computational resources. The vulnerability specifically targets the script validation mechanism within the bitcoin protocol, leveraging the inherent complexity of cryptographic operations to create a resource exhaustion attack that can effectively disable system functionality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the creation of nonstandard Bitcoin transactions that contain multiple OP_CHECKSIG script opcodes within a single block. The OP_CHECKSIG opcode is fundamental to bitcoin's scripting system as it performs digital signature verification operations, requiring substantial computational resources to execute properly. When an attacker constructs a transaction containing numerous OP_CHECKSIG operations, the bitcoin client must process each signature verification sequentially, leading to exponential increases in processing time and resource consumption. This design flaw in the transaction validation logic creates a scenario where a single malicious block can cause the client to consume excessive electricity and computational power, effectively creating a denial of service condition.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple resource exhaustion to encompass broader network stability concerns and potential system compromise. When affected clients process these malicious transactions, they experience significant performance degradation that can lead to complete system unresponsiveness or crashes. The electricity consumption aspect is particularly concerning as it represents a form of resource depletion that can be sustained over time, potentially causing hardware failures or increased operational costs for network participants. This vulnerability demonstrates a critical weakness in the bitcoin protocol's resistance to resource exhaustion attacks, particularly in how it handles complex script validation operations.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require both immediate client updates and implementation of transaction filtering mechanisms. The most effective approach involves upgrading to bitcoin client versions that contain patches addressing the specific script validation inefficiencies. Additionally, network participants should implement transaction filtering rules that reject blocks containing excessive OP_CHECKSIG operations or other potentially malicious script constructs. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses excessive resource consumption, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.001, which covers resource exhaustion attacks. Network administrators should also consider implementing rate limiting and transaction size restrictions to prevent similar attacks from overwhelming system resources. The incident highlights the importance of robust input validation and resource management in cryptocurrency implementations, particularly in systems where computational complexity can be manipulated by malicious actors to compromise system availability.