CVE-2025-46597: 
Bitcoin Core vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2025-46597 is an integer overflow vulnerability in Bitcoin Core affecting versions 0.13.0 through 29.x (prior to 0.30.0). The flaw can be exploited remotely by unauthenticated attackers to cause a denial of service condition against Bitcoin Core nodes. It was published on March 20, 2026, with a full disclosure post from Bitcoin Core dated October 24, 2025. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High) (Red Hat Advisory, Bitcoin Core Disclosure).

The root cause is an integer overflow or wraparound condition (CWE-190, mapped to CAPEC-92: Forced Integer Overflow) within Bitcoin Core's network-facing code. An attacker can trigger the overflow remotely over the network without authentication or user interaction, and with low attack complexity, causing the node to enter an unrecoverable state. The vulnerability was introduced in version 0.13.0 and persists through the 29.x release series. The official disclosure is available at the Bitcoin Core security advisory page, though detailed technical write-ups or public PoC code have not been identified (Bitcoin Core Disclosure, Red Hat Advisory).

Successful exploitation results in a denial of service, crashing or making unavailable any Bitcoin Core node running an affected version (0.13.0–29.x). There is no confidentiality or integrity impact — the vulnerability is purely an availability issue. Widespread exploitation targeting multiple nodes could disrupt Bitcoin network operations, particularly for infrastructure operators, exchanges, or services relying on affected nodes for transaction validation and relay (Bitcoin Core Disclosure, Red Hat Advisory).

As of the time of disclosure, there is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of active in-the-wild exploitation (Bitcoin Core Disclosure). The EPSS score is approximately 0.018%, reflecting a low probability of near-term exploitation. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No threat actor attribution has been reported. Despite the low current exploitation likelihood, the network-accessible, unauthenticated attack vector with low complexity warrants prompt patching (Red Hat Advisory).

The primary remediation is to upgrade Bitcoin Core to version 30.0 or later, which resolves the integer overflow (Bitcoin Core Releases, Bitcoin Core Disclosure). For nodes that cannot be immediately upgraded, operators should implement network access controls to restrict peer connections to trusted nodes only, reducing the attack surface. Monitoring node availability and connection logs for anomalous behavior is also recommended as a compensating control.

The vulnerability was covered by cryptocurrency-focused media outlets, with Bitcoin Ethereum News describing it as one of four low-severity vulnerabilities addressed in the v30.0 release (Bitcoin Ethereum News). Community discussion on Bitcoin Stack Exchange raised questions about whether fixes had been backported to the 29.x or 28.x release branches. U.Today also reported on the four security alerts disclosed alongside this CVE (U.Today). Overall community sentiment treated the disclosure as routine responsible disclosure with low urgency given the absence of active exploitation.