Paired-device impersonation via mismatched discovery packet IDs
Published Dec 5, 2025 · Updated Dec 5, 2025
Authentication bypass in KDE Connect protocol 8 allows adjacent attackers to impersonate a paired device through discovery packets. During version 8 discovery, implementations use the first packet to decide pairing status, then accept a different device ID from the second packet without correlating the identities. An attacker on the same network who knows a previously paired device ID gains that device's privileges, limited to the permissions already granted to it.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in KDE Connect protocol 8 allows adjacent attackers to impersonate a paired device through discovery packets. During version 8 discovery, implementations use the first packet to decide pairing status, then accept a different device ID from the second packet without correlating the identities. An attacker on the same network who knows a previously paired device ID gains that device's privileges, limited to the permissions already granted to it.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-66270
- Published
- Dec 5, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 5, 2025
- Vendor
- KDE
- Product
- KDE Connect protocol
- Classifications
- CWE-290
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 5, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 5, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=8
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What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Technologies
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Your stack
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