Secret disclosure via unchecked askpass shared memory
Published Sep 25, 2026 · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Missing authorization in kitty 0.25.0 through 0.48.0 allows local users to steal text entered into an askpass prompt. The handle_remote_askpass() path opens the POSIX shared memory name supplied by a terminal escape sequence and writes the response without validating ownership or restrictive permissions. Exploitation requires a shared memory namespace between users, attacker-controlled bytes reaching the victim's terminal, and the victim entering a secret; the consequence is disclosure of that entered text.
Summary
What happened
Missing authorization in kitty 0.25.0 through 0.48.0 allows local users to steal text entered into an askpass prompt. The handle_remote_askpass() path opens the POSIX shared memory name supplied by a terminal escape sequence and writes the response without validating ownership or restrictive permissions. Exploitation requires a shared memory namespace between users, attacker-controlled bytes reaching the victim's terminal, and the victim entering a secret; the consequence is disclosure of that entered text.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-95835
- Published
- Sep 25, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 25, 2026
- Vendor
- Kovid Goyal
- Product
- kitty
- Classifications
- T1056
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 25, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0.25.0 <0.49.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Get started to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Get started