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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-22868: go-ethereum · Improper Input Validation

Affects go-ethereumSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High : upgrade to 1.16.8 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 4.0 base score
7.1High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.6% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 49% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 1.16.8
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 13 Jan 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade go-ethereum and github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum to 1.16.8.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
ethereumgo-ethereumAffected
  • <1.16.8
Fixed in
  • 1.16.8
Gogithub.com/ethereum/go-ethereumpkg:golang/github.com/ethereum/go-ethereumOther threatsAffected
  • <1.16.8
Fixed in
  • 1.16.8

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-22868, European organizations should immediately upgrade all go-ethereum nodes to version 1.16.8 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed. Network administrators should implement strict ingress filtering to limit exposure of Ethereum nodes to untrusted networks, ideally restricting access to known peers or internal networks. Deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) or network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) configured to detect anomalous Ethereum protocol messages can help identify and block exploit attempts. Regularly monitoring node logs for unusual shutdowns or crashes can provide early warning signs of exploitation. Organizations should also consider running nodes with minimal privileges and isolating them within segmented network zones to reduce potential impact. Maintaining up-to-date backups and failover nodes can ensure continuity in case of node failure. Finally, participating in Ethereum community security advisories and promptly applying patches is essential to stay protected against emerging threats.

Description

go-ethereum (geth) is a golang execution layer implementation of the Ethereum protocol. A vulnerable node can be forced to shutdown/crash using a specially crafted message. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.16.8.

References

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