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KeePassXC CVE-2026-69150

| EUVDEUVD-2026-98810 MEDIUM
Use After Free (CWE-416)
2026-10-13 GitHub_M
4.3
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: GitHub_M
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Deliver crafted .kdb file to user
  2. Exploit
    Victim imports legacy KeePass1 database
  3. Execution
    parseCustomIcons4 follows stale Entry pointer
  4. Impact
    Heap use-after-free crashes KeePassXC

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Memory lifecycle management
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a victim running KeePassXC prior to 2.8.0-beta1 to actively use the legacy KeePass1/KDB import feature on an attacker-supplied, crafted .kdb file that is unlockable and contains an earlier metastream entry followed by a KPX_CUSTOM_ICONS_4 metastream referencing that earlier entry's UUID. Limiting factors: the attack is local (AV:L) with no network path, needs active user interaction to perform the import (UI:A), targets a niche legacy KDB import code path that is not part of normal day-to-day use, and the file must be openable. Default usage of the product without importing a malicious legacy database is not affected.

Impact

The supplied CVSS 4.0 base score is 4.3 (Medium), and every signal points to genuinely low real-world urgency rather than a high-severity emergency. The vector (AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A) means exploitation is local, high-complexity, carries an explicit attack requirement, and demands active user interaction - the victim must manually import an attacker-supplied legacy .kdb file. Impact is dominated by availability (VA:H, a reliable process crash) with only limited integrity impact (VI:L from the controlled heap write) and no confidentiality impact (VC:N). No EPSS score was provided, the CVE is not in CISA KEV, and no public PoC is referenced, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active exploitation. One conflict to flag: the supplied vector states PR:L, but importing a database file requires no special application privileges - I assess this as effectively unauthenticated (PR:N); verify with the vendor advisory. Bottom line: this is primarily a social-engineering-dependent denial-of-service in a non-default legacy import path; the controlled write raises theoretical code-execution concerns but is not demonstrated, so this is a low-priority, patch-in-normal-cycle issue rather than an emergency.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker crafts a malicious but openable KeePass1/.kdb file containing a metastream entry followed by a KPX_CUSTOM_ICONS_4 metastream that references the earlier entry's UUID, then socially engineers a KeePassXC user (version prior to 2.8.0-beta1) into importing it via the legacy KDB import feature. During parsing, parseCustomIcons4() calls Entry::setIcon through a stale pointer left in m_entryUuids, triggering a heap use-after-free with a controlled write that reliably crashes the application. No public exploit code is known to exist, and the local attack vector plus required active user interaction make this a targeted, low-likelihood scenario.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

A heap use-after-free in KeePassXC's legacy KeePass1/KDB import path can crash the application and permit a limited, attacker-influenced write when a user actively imports a crafted, unlockable .kdb file; all builds prior to 2.8.0-beta1 are affected. The flaw is local-only and requires the victim to manually run the legacy import against an attacker-supplied database, so normal day-to-day use of KeePassXC without importing untrusted KDB files is not exposed. Severity is modest - CVSS 4.0 base 4.3 (Medium) and an assessed CVSS 3.1 vector of AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H (impact skewed to availability, with only low integrity impact and no confidentiality loss) - and no public exploit code or confirmed active exploitation was identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to KeePassXC 2.8.0-beta1 or a later release - vendor-released patch: 2.8.0-beta1 - which contains the upstream fix (commit 6a534f38c61295d60b0e937739a12511e76dbfeb) that removes the dangling entry from the m_entryUuids and m_entryGroupIds maps during metastream entry deletion; because 2.8.0-beta1 is a pre-release, prefer the first stable 2.8.0 build once published and validate the fix in tandem with GHSA-4642-49vv-4p43. Until upgrading, the effective compensating control is procedural rather than configuration-based: do not import .kdb (legacy KeePass 1.x) files from untrusted or untrusted-origin sources, since the vulnerable code path is only reachable through a user-initiated legacy import and the crafted file must be openable - the trade-off is a complete loss of legacy KDB import capability for untrusted data, which is acceptable because that format is deprecated and rarely used. If legacy imports are operationally required, perform them inside an isolated, disposable environment (container, VM, or a dedicated low-privilege account with no access to production secrets or the network), accepting the residual risk of a crash and limited memory corruption within that sandbox; note that sandboxing does not remove the underlying memory-safety bug and only bounds its blast radius. No vendor-supplied configuration flag, disable switch, or standalone hotfix for the affected code path was identified in the available data.

Affected VersionsENISA

KeePassXC < 2.8.0-beta1

Affected Packages

euvd keepassxc fix: 2.8.0-beta1

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The issue is a CWE-416 use-after-free inside KeePassXC's KeePass1 reader (src/format/KeePass1Reader.cpp), the parser that ingests the legacy Windows KeePass 1.x .kdb format. During parsing, the reader keeps raw Entry* pointers in side maps such as m_entryUuids and m_entryGroupIds so later metastream records can be resolved back to earlier entries. When a crafted .kdb file contains an earlier metastream entry followed by a KPX_CUSTOM_ICONS_4 metastream that references the earlier entry's UUID, the parser deletes the metastream entry but leaves the stale raw pointer in m_entryUuids; parseCustomIcons4() then calls Entry::setIcon through that dangling pointer, producing a heap use-after-free with a partially controlled write and a reliable crash. The upstream fix (commit 6a534f38c61295d60b0e937739a12511e76dbfeb) erases the corresponding keys from m_entryUuids and m_entryGroupIds when the entry is removed, eliminating the dangling reference. The affected product is identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:keepassxreboot:keepassxc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, i.e. every release before the 2.8.0-beta1 tag across all platforms.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (GitHub_M) PRIMARY 4.3 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 6.1 MEDIUM

Local file import requires an attacker-supplied .kdb and victim action (AV:L/UI:R) with no app privileges (PR:N); the crash is reliable (AC:L), the controlled write gives limited integrity (I:L), the crash gives A:H, and no data is disclosed (C:N).

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M).

CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
Active
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
Low
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

1
Patch available
Oct 13, 2026 - 17:03 EUVD

DescriptionCVE.org

KeePassXC is a cross-platform community-driven port of the Windows application KeePass Password Safe. Prior to 2.8.0-beta1, KeePass1 / KDB legacy import retains raw Entry pointers in m_entryUuids after deleting metastream entries. When a crafted, unlockable .kdb file contains an earlier metastream entry followed by a KPX_CUSTOM_ICONS_4 metastream that references the earlier UUID, parseCustomIcons4() calls Entry::setIcon through the stale pointer, causing a heap use-after-free with a controlled write and a reliable process crash. This issue is fixed in version 2.8.0-beta1.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 95% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
popular cross-platform desktop password manager, widely used but not ubiquitous
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

22
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +22
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to access memory through a pointer after that memory has been deallocated.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

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