CVE-2017-12842

Severity: high (CVSS 7.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-03-16 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-20

Description

Bitcoin Core before 0.14 allows an attacker to create an ostensibly valid SPV proof for a payment to a victim who uses an SPV wallet, even if that payment did not actually occur. Completing the attack would cost more than a million dollars, and is relevant mainly only in situations where an autonomous system relies solely on an SPV proof for transactions of a greater dollar amount.

Affected products

Bitcoin Core: before 0.14.0 — fixed in 0.14.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Bitcoin Core 0.14.0. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://bitslog.wordpress.com/2018/06/09/leaf-node-weakness-in-bitcoin-merkle-tree-design/
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Common_Vulnerabilities_and_Exposures
https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2019-February/016697.html
https://bitslog.wordpress.com/2018/06/09/leaf-node-weakness-in-bitcoin-merkle-tree-design/
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Common_Vulnerabilities_and_Exposures
https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2019-February/016697.html

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