Published: October 30, 2026 | Last Modified: October 30, 2026
OpenVM is a performant and modular zkVM framework built for customization and extensibility. Before 1.7.0 in the 1.x line and in affected 2.0 and 2.1 prereleases, `MemoryMerkleAir` does not forbid Merkle expansion rows at `parent_height` = 0 or below while `expand_direction` != 0. A malicious prover can fabricate a subtree below a memory leaf and swap digests inside that subtree to change the committed memory root without a corresponding memory operation. The fraudulent rows still balance against the Merkle and compression buses and require no memory-bus operation for the changed leaf. Because the memory Merkle root binds VM memory state across continuation segment boundaries, this affects the soundness of OpenVM proofs using persistent memory. This issue is fixed in versions 1.7.0, 2.0.0-rc.3 and 2.1.0-preview.
Exploitation Probability (EPSS): Low — 0.40% (34th percentile)
Low exploitation probability based on current threat landscape data. Standard patching timeline is appropriate.
This analysis is generated by Ghostwire from NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS, and open-source intelligence data. Verify findings through primary sources before acting.