Zebra (zebrad) before 6.2.1 contains an asymmetric resource consumption vulnerability that allows unauthenticated peers to stall block verification by pushing V6 mempool transactions with invalid Halo2 proofs. Attackers can flood the shared unprioritized Halo2 verification queue with zero-fee transactions carrying zero-filled Orchard and Ironwood proofs, causing nodes to fall behind the chain tip.
The product does not properly control situations in which an adversary can cause the product to consume or produce excessive resources without requiring the adversary to invest equivalent work or otherwise prove authorization, i.e., the adversary’s influence is “asymmetric.”