CVE-2022-21685

Name: CVE-2022-21685
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2022-01-14T17:15:13.333+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 6.5/10EPSS 1.33%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2022-21685 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.5/10 on the CVSS scale. Frontier is Substrate's Ethereum compatibility layer. Prior to commit number `8a93fdc6c9f4eb1d2f2a11b7ff1d12d70bf5a664`, a bug in Frontier's MODEXP precompile implementation can cause an integer underflow in certain conditions. EPSS estimates a 1.33% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Frontier is Substrate's Ethereum compatibility layer. Prior to commit number `8a93fdc6c9f4eb1d2f2a11b7ff1d12d70bf5a664`, a bug in Frontier's MODEXP precompile implementation can cause an integer underflow in certain conditions. This will cause a node crash for debug builds. For release builds (and production WebAssembly binaries), the impact is limited as it can only cause a normal EVM out-of-gas. Users who do not use MODEXP precompile in their runtime are not impacted. A patch is available in pull request #549.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

1.33%

67.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Parity	Frontier	<= 2022-01-13

References

https://github.com/paritytech/frontier/commit/8a93fdc6c9f4eb1d2f2a11b7ff1d12d70bf5a664Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/paritytech/frontier/pull/549Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/paritytech/frontier/security/advisories/GHSA-cjg2-2fjg-fph4Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/paritytech/frontier/commit/8a93fdc6c9f4eb1d2f2a11b7ff1d12d70bf5a664Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/paritytech/frontier/pull/549Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/paritytech/frontier/security/advisories/GHSA-cjg2-2fjg-fph4Patch, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jan 14, 2022
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-21685?

How severe is CVE-2022-21685?

CVE-2022-21685 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.33% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2022-21685?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2022-21685?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST