CVE-2026-62333
OpenVM: MemoryMerkleAir allows below-leaf rows to alter memory roots
What happened?
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.
Affected software and versions
| Software | Version information | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| openvmopenvm-org | affected: < 1.7.0; affected: >= 2.0.0-alpha, < 2.0.0-rc.3; affected: >= 2.1.0-dev.0, < 2.1.0-preview | See vendor advisory |
Version information comes from the source record and can include unaffected products and exceptions. Distribution packages may contain backported fixes: an older upstream version alone does not prove a server is affected.
Is it being exploited?
This CVE was not listed in the CISA catalogue at our last retrieval. This does not establish that exploitation is absent.
How to respond
- Confirm the product, installed package version, and any configuration requirements in the vendor advisory.
- Follow the vendor’s remediation or workaround guidance in the references below. Structured fixed-version data is unavailable here; the publisher’s description may include a fix or workaround.
- Restart affected services if required, then verify the running version. Known exploitation may warrant investigation as well as patching.
Sources and remediation references
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-62333
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/security/advisories/GHSA-396x-v8w4-9x82
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/pull/148
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/commit/bb123f6073691bd2b794171c594264c77e45c376
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/blob/v2.0.0-alpha/crates/vm/src/system/memory/merkle/air.rs
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/blob/v2.0.0-beta.2/crates/vm/src/system/memory/merkle/air.rs
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/blob/v2.1.0-dev.0/crates/vm/src/system/memory/merkle/air.rs
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/releases/tag/v1.7.0
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc.3
- https://github.com/openvm-org/openvm/releases/tag/v2.1.0-preview