CVE-2025-30147 – The curious case of subgroup check on Besu

Due to Marius Van Der Wijden for creating the check case and statetest, and for serving to the Besu crew verify the problem. Additionally, kudos to the Besu crew, the EF safety crew, and Kevaundray Wedderburn. Moreover, due to Justin Traglia, Marius Van Der Wijden, Benedikt Wagner, and Kevaundray Wedderburn for proofreading. In case you have another questions/feedback, discover me on twitter at @asanso

tl;dr: Besu Ethereum execution client model 25.2.2 suffered from a consensus difficulty associated to the EIP-196/EIP-197 precompiled contract dealing with for the elliptic curve alt_bn128 (a.okay.a. bn254). The problem was fastened in launch 25.3.0.
Here is the complete CVE report.

N.B.: A part of this submit requires some data about elliptic curves (cryptography).

Introduction

The bn254 curve (also called alt_bn128) is an elliptic curve utilized in Ethereum for cryptographic operations. It helps operations comparable to elliptic curve cryptography, making it essential for numerous Ethereum options. Previous to EIP-2537 and the latest Pectra launch, bn254 was the one pairing curve supported by the Ethereum Digital Machine (EVM). EIP-196 and EIP-197 outline precompiled contracts for environment friendly computation on this curve. For extra particulars about bn254, you’ll be able to learn here.

A major safety vulnerability in elliptic curve cryptography is the invalid curve assault, first launched within the paper “Differential fault attacks on elliptic curve cryptosystems”. This assault targets the usage of factors that don’t lie on the right elliptic curve, resulting in potential safety points in cryptographic protocols. For non-prime order curves (like these showing in pairing-based cryptography and in $G_2$

To examine if a degree P is legitimate in elliptic curve cryptography, it should be verified that the purpose lies on the curve and belongs to the right subgroup. That is particularly vital when the purpose P comes from an untrusted or probably malicious supply, as invalid or specifically crafted factors can result in safety vulnerabilities. Beneath is pseudocode demonstrating this course of:

# Pseudocode for checking if level P is legitimate
def is_valid_point(P):
    if not is_on_curve(P):    
        return False
    if not is_in_subgroup(P):
        return False
    return True

Subgroup membership checks

As talked about above, when working with any level of unknown origin, it’s essential to confirm that it belongs to the right subgroup, along with confirming that the purpose lies on the right curve. For bn254, that is solely vital for $G_2$

Nonetheless, this methodology could be pricey in follow as a result of massive dimension of the prime $r$, particularly for $G_2$

The Actual Slim Shady

As you’ll be able to see from the timeline on the finish of this submit, we acquired a report a few bug affecting Pectra EIP-2537 on Besu, submitted through the Pectra Audit Competition. We’re solely evenly pertaining to that difficulty right here, in case the unique reporter desires to cowl it in additional element. This submit focuses particularly on the BN254 EIP-196/EIP-197 vulnerability.

The unique reporter noticed that in Besu, the is_in_subgroup examine was carried out earlier than the is_on_curve examine. Here is an instance of what that may appear to be:

# Pseudocode for checking if level P is legitimate
def is_valid_point(P):
    if not is_in_subgroup(P):    
        if not is_on_curve(P):
            return False  
        return False
    return True

Intrigued by the problem above on the BLS curve, we determined to try the Besu code for the BN curve. To my nice shock, we discovered one thing like this:

# Pseudocode for checking if level P is legitimate
def is_valid_point(P):
    if not is_in_subgroup(P):    
        return False
    return True

Wait, what? The place is the is_on_curve examine? Precisely—there is not one!!!

Now, to probably bypass the is_valid_point perform, all you’d have to do is present a degree that lies inside the appropriate subgroup however is not really on the curve.

However wait—is that even doable?

Nicely, sure—however just for explicit, well-chosen curves. Particularly, if two curves are isomorphic, they share the identical group construction, which suggests you could possibly craft a degree from the isomorphic curve that passes subgroup checks however would not lie on the supposed curve.

Sneaky, proper?

Did you say isomorpshism?

Be happy to skip this part when you’re not within the particulars—we’re about to go a bit deeper into the mathematics.

Let $mathbb{F}_q$

the place $A$ and $B$ are constants satisfying $4A^3 + 27B^2 neq 0$

Curve Isomorphisms

Two elliptic curves are thought-about isomorphic^[To exploit the vulnerabilities described here, we really want isomorphic curves, not just isogenous curves.] if they are often associated by an affine change of variables. Such transformations protect the group construction and be certain that level addition stays constant. It may be proven that the one doable transformations between two curves briefly Weierstraß type take the form:

for some nonzero $e in mathbb{F}_q$

The $j$-invariant of a curve is outlined as:

Each component of $mathbb{F}_q$

Exploitability

At this level, all that is left is to craft an acceptable level on a fastidiously chosen curve, and voilà—le jeu est fait.

You may attempt the check vector utilizing this link and benefit from the journey.

Conclusion

On this submit, we explored the vulnerability in Besu’s implementation of elliptic curve checks. This flaw, if exploited, may enable an attacker to craft a degree that passes subgroup membership checks however doesn’t lie on the precise curve. The Besu crew has since addressed this difficulty in launch 25.3.0. Whereas the problem was remoted to Besu and didn’t have an effect on different purchasers, discrepancies like this increase necessary issues for multi-client ecosystems like Ethereum. A mismatch in cryptographic checks between purchasers can lead to divergent habits—the place one consumer accepts a transaction or block that one other rejects. This sort of inconsistency can jeopardize consensus and undermine belief within the community’s uniformity, particularly when delicate bugs stay unnoticed throughout implementations. This incident highlights why rigorous testing and strong safety practices are completely important—particularly in blockchain methods, the place even minor cryptographic missteps can ripple out into main systemic vulnerabilities. Initiatives just like the Pectra audit competitors play a vital function in proactively surfacing these points earlier than they attain manufacturing. By encouraging various eyes to scrutinize the code, such efforts strengthen the general resilience of the ecosystem.

Timeline

• 15-03-2025 – Bug affecting Pectra EIP-2537 on Besu reported through the Pectra Audit Competition.
• 17-03-2025 – Found and reported the EIP-196/EIP-197 difficulty to the Besu crew.
• 17-03-2025 – Marius Van Der Wijden created a check case and statetest to breed the problem.
• 17-03-2025 – The Besu crew promptly acknowledged and fixed the problem.