Security Flaw Discovered In Succinct's SP1 ZKVM

According to Odaily, LambdaClass recently identified a critical security flaw in the proof generation process of Succinct's SP1 ZKVM, leading to intense scrutiny. The vulnerability in version 3 of SP1 was discovered in collaboration with 3Mi Labs and Aligned, resulting from the interaction of two separate security issues. Succinct had previously informed its users of this potential flaw via Github and Telegram. Although the issue was swiftly addressed before disclosure, it raised concerns about the transparency of security practices in zero-knowledge virtual machines (ZKVM). The SP1 technology is currently supporting upgrades in rollup infrastructure development. Mantle Network has integrated SP1 to transition to ZK validity rollup, aiming to reduce transaction completion time and support institutional-grade asset settlement. AggLayer uses SP1 to generate pessimistic proofs, ensuring the security of its cross-chain interoperability solutions. Taiko has adopted SP1 as a ZK prover to secure its multi-prover system L2 execution. Soon, a relatively new project, is building an SVM rollup framework using SP1-supported ZK fault proofs for settlement on Ethereum, similar to Eclipse, which uses RISC Zero. LambdaClass cautioned that the full impact of the vulnerability requires further assessment. The exploit depends on the interaction between two issues, indicating that fixing one may not be sufficient to prevent exploitation. LambdaClass developer Fede emphasized on social media that his team felt compelled to disclose the issue publicly after perceiving a lack of urgency from Succinct. Anurag Arjun from Avail stated that Succinct's leadership acted responsibly in addressing the issue but agreed that better public disclosure practices are needed. Arjun confirmed that his team was privately informed of the issue before public disclosure. Avail's deployment was not at risk as they rely on Succinct's proprietary prover, which remains permissioned. Avail's rollup client has not yet begun using its SP1-driven bridge contracts, so there was no actual impact. Meanwhile, supporters of Succinct highlighted that responsible disclosure typically involves private reporting before public statements to avoid unnecessary panic and potential exploitation. Additionally, version 4 of Succinct's SP1 update, known as Turbo, has addressed the discovered vulnerabilities, and downstream projects have begun integrating these fixes.