In KDE KCoreAddons before 6.25, KShell::quoteArgs is intended to safely quote arguments…
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
In KDE KCoreAddons before 6.25, KShell::quoteArgs is intended to safely quote arguments so that they can be passed to a shell command. This parsing does not adequately handle metacharacters, leading to an escape from the shell. All applications relying on this method in a security-critical path to handle user input are affected and could be exploited. In particular, because sendInput() sends a string to a terminal, a control character such as \x01 can be used during injection.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA KCoreAddons (KDE) Fixed in 6.25
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-41526
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9hm5-8q4h-922j
References
Other 4
- https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kcoreaddons/
- https://github.com/KDE/kcoreaddons/blob/50d360736c399502fedf203e95482b0d0e5a3ea2/src/lib/util/kshell.h#L43-L49
- https://github.com/KDE/kcoreaddons/blob/50d360736c399502fedf203e95482b0d0e5a3ea2/src/lib/util/kshell.h#L168
- https://github.com/KDE/kcoreaddons/releases/tag/v6.25.0
Sources
- CVE-2026-41526 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-41526 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9hm5-8q4h-922j · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-41526 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences