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CVE-2018-17144 is a consensus and validation flaw in Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knots affecting Bitcoin Core 0.14.x before 0.14.3, 0.15.x before 0.15.2, and 0.16.x before 0.16.3, and Bitcoin Knots 0.14.x through 0.16.x before 0.16.3. The bug involved incorrect handling of transactions containing duplicate inputs within a block. Due to a regression in transaction input uniqueness validation introduced in the 0.14 series, duplicate-spend checks were not correctly enforced during block validation in some code paths. As a result, a specially crafted block containing the same transaction output spent more than once could trigger an assertion failure and crash vulnerable nodes. Historical Bitcoin Core advisory material also states that the flaw could allow inflation of the Bitcoin money supply by spending the same transaction output twice within a block.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository contains two Python scripts, 'cve-2018-17144-DOS.py' and 'cve-2018-17144-Double_Spend.py', both of which are proof-of-concept exploits for CVE-2018-17144, a critical inflation bug in Bitcoin Core (versions 0.14.0 to 0.16.2). The scripts use the Bitcoin Core test framework to set up a local test network with two nodes. They craft and send invalid blocks with duplicate transactions to a node via the P2P interface. The first script demonstrates a denial-of-service scenario, while the second script demonstrates a double-spend attack by exploiting the vulnerability. Both scripts require a local or test Bitcoin Core environment and are intended for research or demonstration purposes. The only fingerprintable endpoint is the local IP address (127.0.0.1) used for node communication. The repository is structured as two standalone Python exploit scripts, each with a main entry point.
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6 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A historical Bitcoin vulnerability referenced for comparison, described here as a bug whose effects would be visible and reversible due to Bitcoin’s transparent accounting model.
A Bitcoin Core vulnerability mentioned as historical context; the content does not tie it to the timing side-channel topic beyond listing it as a wallet-related vulnerability.
A historical Bitcoin Core vulnerability mentioned as context only; the content does not provide technical details beyond noting it is not related to overflow.
A critical Bitcoin Core vulnerability that allowed denial of service and inflation by spending the same transaction output twice within a block.
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Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
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