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CVE-2023-39533

libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys

7.5 HighFix available

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

1.51%Up 1.5 points since Aug 9, 2023
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 7.5

libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
CVE-2023-39533
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-2242 7.5

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
EUVD-2023-2242
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-876p-8259-xjgg 7.5

libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys

Impact

A malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p now restricts RSA keys to <= 8192 bits.

Patches

Users should upgrade their go-libp2p versions to >=v0.27.8, >= v0.28.2, or >=v0.29.1 To protect your application, it's necessary to update to these patch releases AND to use the updated Go compiler (1.20.7 or 1.19.12, respectively)

Workarounds

There are no known workarounds

References

The Golang crypto/tls package also had this vulnerability ("verifying certificate chains containing large RSA keys is slow” https://github.com/golang/go/issues/61460) Fix in golang/go crypto/tls: https://github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017 Fix in quic-go https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012

Record
GHSA-876p-8259-xjgg
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 7.5

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
CVE-2023-39533
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVAZL-27872 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package golang for versions less than 1.19.12-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-27872
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVAZL-27875 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package msft-golang for versions less than 1.19.12-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-27875
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 8 moreShow less
OSVAZL-37359 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package golang for versions less than 1.21.6-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-37359
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVAZL-37422 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package golang for versions less than 1.21.6-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-37422
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVAZL-52773 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package golang for versions less than 1.19.12-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-52773
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVAZL-79074 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package golang 1.25.7-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-79074
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVAZL-98640 7.5

CVE-2023-39533 affecting package golang 1.27.1-1

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
AZL-98640
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys

go-libp2p is the Go implementation of the libp2p Networking Stack. Prior to versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p versions 0.27.8, 0.28.2, and 0.29.1 restrict RSA keys to <= 8192 bits. To protect one's application, it is necessary to update to these patch releases and to use the updated Go compiler in 1.20.7 or 1.19.12. There are no known workarounds for this issue.

Record
CVE-2023-39533
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-876p-8259-xjgg 7.5

libp2p nodes vulnerable to attack using large RSA keys

Impact

A malicious peer can use large RSA keys to run a resource exhaustion attack & force a node to spend time doing signature verification of the large key. This vulnerability is present in the core/crypto module of go-libp2p and can occur during the Noise handshake and the libp2p x509 extension verification step. To prevent this attack, go-libp2p now restricts RSA keys to <= 8192 bits.

Patches

Users should upgrade their go-libp2p versions to >=v0.27.8, >= v0.28.2, or >=v0.29.1 To protect your application, it's necessary to update to these patch releases AND to use the updated Go compiler (1.20.7 or 1.19.12, respectively)

Workarounds

There are no known workarounds

References

The Golang crypto/tls package also had this vulnerability ("verifying certificate chains containing large RSA keys is slow” https://github.com/golang/go/issues/61460) Fix in golang/go crypto/tls: https://github.com/golang/go/commit/2350afd2e8ab054390e284c95d5b089c142db017 Fix in quic-go https://github.com/quic-go/quic-go/pull/4012

Record
GHSA-876p-8259-xjgg
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-770
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGO-2023-2000 No score

Large RSA keys can cause high resource usage in github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p

Large RSA keys can lead to resource exhaustion attacks.

With fix, the size of RSA keys transmitted during handshakes is restricted to <= 8192 bits.

Record
GO-2023-2000
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
before 0.27.8
0.27.8
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
0.28.0 up to 0.28.2
0.28.2
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
0.29.0 to 0.29.0
0.29.1
golang
Azure Linux:2
1.19.0 up to 1.19.12-1
1.19.12-1
msft-golang
Azure Linux:2
before 1.19.12-1
1.19.12-1
golang
Azure Linux:2
before 1.21.6-1
1.21.6-1
golang
Azure Linux:2
1.18.0 up to 1.21.6-1
1.21.6-1
golang
Azure Linux:3
before 1.19.12-1
1.19.12-1
golang
Azure Linux:3
through 1.25.7-1 None known
golang
Azure Linux:3
1.27.0 to 1.27.1-1 None known
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
0.29.0 up to 0.29.1
0.29.1
github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p
Go
before 0.27.8, 0.28.0 up to 0.28.2, 0.29.0 up to 0.29.1
0.27.80.28.20.29.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2023-39533 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Libp2p Go-libp2p, published August 8, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.51%, the 74th percentile. Fixed in github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p 0.27.8.

References

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