OpenZeppelin Contracts's GovernorVotesQuorumFraction updates to quorum may affect past defeated proposals
Impact
This issue concerns instances of Governor that use the module GovernorVotesQuorumFraction, a mechanism that determines quorum requirements as a percentage of the voting token's total supply. In affected instances, when a proposal is passed to lower the quorum requirement, past proposals may become executable if they had been defeated only due to lack of quorum, and the number of votes it received meets the new quorum requirement.
Analysis of instances on chain found only one proposal that met this condition, and we are actively monitoring for new occurrences of this particular issue.
Patches
This issue has been patched in v4.7.2.
Workarounds
Avoid lowering quorum requirements if a past proposal was defeated for lack of quorum.
References
https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/pull/3561
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, or need assistance deploying the fix, email us at security@openzeppelin.com.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| npm package | @openzeppelin/contracts | >= 4.3.0, < 4.7.2 | 4.7.2 |
| npm package | @openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable | >= 4.3.0, < 4.7.2 | 4.7.2 |
References
- https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/security/advisories/GHSA-xrc4-737v-9q75
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-31198
- https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/pull/3561
- https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts
- https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/releases/tag/v4.7.2
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-682- Platform
- npm
- Package
@openzeppelin/contracts, @openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable- Disclosed
- 18.08.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 10:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-xrc4-737v-9q75 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: @openzeppelin/contracts
All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 20
- First → latest
- 08.2021 07.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 2
- High 5
- Medium 12
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2021: 4
- 2022: 7
- 2023: 7
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 1
- 2026: 0
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OpenZeppelin Contracts's GovernorVotesQuorumFraction updates to quorum may affect past defeated proposals this entry
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