CVE-2024-45039: gnark is a fast zk-SNARK library that offers a high-level API to design circuits. Versions prior to 0.11.0 have a soundness issue - in case of multipl...

Description

gnark is a fast zk-SNARK library that offers a high-level API to design circuits. Versions prior to 0.11.0 have a soundness issue - in case of multiple commitments used inside the circuit the prover is able to choose all but the last commitment. As gnark uses the commitments for optimized non-native multiplication, lookup checks etc. as random challenges, then it could impact the soundness of the whole circuit. However, using multiple commitments has been discouraged due to the additional cost to the verifier and it has not been supported in the recursive in-circuit Groth16 verifier and Solidity verifier. gnark's maintainers expect the impact of the issue be very small - only for the users who have implemented the native Groth16 verifier or are using it with multiple commitments. We do not have information of such users. The issue has been patched in version 0.11.0. As a workaround, users should follow gnark maintainers' recommendation to use only a single commitment and then derive in-circuit commitments as needed using the `std/multicommit` package.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.2/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.19%

8.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-200

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Consensys	Gnark-Crypto	< 0.11.0

References

https://github.com/Consensys/gnark/commit/e7c66b000454f4d2a4ae48c005c34154d4cfc2a2Broken Link
https://github.com/Consensys/gnark/security/advisories/GHSA-q3hw-3gm4-w5crThird Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Sep 6, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-45039?

gnark is a fast zk-SNARK library that offers a high-level API to design circuits. Versions prior to 0.11.0 have a soundness issue - in case of multiple commitments used inside the circuit the prover is able to choose all but the last commitment. As gnark uses the commitments for optimized non-native multiplication, lookup checks etc. as random challenges, then it could impact the soundness of the whole circuit. However, using multiple commitments has been discouraged due to the additional cost to the verifier and it has not been supported in the recursive in-circuit Groth16 verifier and Solidity verifier. gnark's maintainers expect the impact of the issue be very small - only for the users who have implemented the native Groth16 verifier or are using it with multiple commitments. We do not have information of such users. The issue has been patched in version 0.11.0. As a workaround, users should follow gnark maintainers' recommendation to use only a single commitment and then derive in-circuit commitments as needed using the `std/multicommit` package.

How severe is CVE-2024-45039?

CVE-2024-45039 has a CVSS score of 6.2/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-45039?

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.