Vyper: Return inside for loop more than 1 level deep
VVE-2020-0002
Earlier today, we received a responsible disclosure of a potential issue from @michwill (developer of @curvefi) for Vyper users who use return statements inside for loops of nested internal calls. Returning inside a for loop causes an invalid jump dest, reverting the transaction unnecessarily.
MWE:
@internal
def _baz():
for i in range(1):
return # Stack underflow happens here
@internal
def _bar():
self._baz()
@external
def foo():
self._bar()
Impact
Impact is minor, it is unlikely a user would encounter this problem unless they were working with nested calls, and return statements inside calls. Even in that scenario, you would encounter a revert which should be noticeable with adequate testing. In limited circumstances, this could cause a DoS attack for public contracts under certain conditions.
Patches
Fixed in https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper/pull/2110. Please upgrade to Vyper 0.2.3
Workarounds
Not returning inside a for loop nested 2+ internal calls deep works as is:
@internal
def _baz():
for i in range(1):
pass
return # This works fine
@internal
def _bar():
self._baz()
@external
def foo():
self._bar()
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Chat with us in our gitter
- Open an issue in https://github.com/vyperlang/vyper
- Email us at security@vyperlang.org
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | vyper | >= 0.1.0b10, < 0.2.3 | 0.2.3 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-691- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
vyper- Disclosed
- 06.10.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:18
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-vg88-3v92-rjx2 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: vyper
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 47
- First → latest
- 03.2020 10.2026
- Without a fix
- 5
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 3
- High 14
- Medium 20
- Low 10
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 1
- 2021: 5
- 2022: 4
- 2023: 14
- 2024: 14
- 2025: 6
- 2026: 3
-
Vyper: Return inside for loop more than 1 level deep this entry
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