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PYSEC-2026-2028
vypervypervyperImpact
the slice() builtin can elide side effects when the output length is 0, and the source bytestring is a builtin (msg.data or <address>.code). the reason is that for these source locations, the check that length >= 1 is skipped:
https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/blob/68b68c4b30c5ef2f312b4674676170b8a6eaa316/vyper/builtins/functions.py#L315-L319
the result is that a 0-length bytestring constructed with slice can be passed to make_byte_array_copier, which elides evaluation of its source argument when the max length is 0:
https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/blob/68b68c4b30c5ef2f312b4674676170b8a6eaa316/vyper/codegen/core.py#L189-L191
the impact is that side effects in the start argument may be elided when the length argument is 0, e.g. slice(msg.data, self.do_side_effect(), 0).
the following example illustrates how the issue would look in user code
counter: public(uint256)
@external
def test() -> Bytes[10]:
b: Bytes[10] = slice(msg.data, self.side_effect(), 0)
return b
def side_effect() -> uint256:
self.counter += 1
return 0
the severity assigned is low, since this is not a very useful pattern and unlikely to be found in user code.
Patches
the fix is tracked in https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/pull/4645, which disallows any invocation of slice() with length 0, including for the ad hoc locations discussed in this advisory.
Workarounds
Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?
References
Are there any links users can visit to find out more?
The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability.
Limited exploitation activity has been observed. Close monitoring and planned remediation are recommended.
The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.
We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.
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