CVE-2020-37178
📋 TL;DR
KeePass Password Safe versions before 2.44 contain a denial of service vulnerability in the help system's HTML handling. Attackers can cause application crashes by dragging malicious HTML files into the help area. All KeePass users running vulnerable versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- KeePass Password Safe
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete application crash leading to denial of service, potentially causing loss of unsaved password database changes or preventing access to stored credentials.
Likely Case
Application instability or crash requiring restart, disrupting password management workflow.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact with proper patching and user awareness about not dragging unknown files into KeePass.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (dragging file). Public proof-of-concept available at Exploit-DB.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.44 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://keepass.info/news/n2001_2_44.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download KeePass 2.44 or later from keepass.info
2. Install the new version
3. Restart KeePass
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Help System
allPrevent exploitation by disabling the help system functionality
User Awareness Training
allEducate users not to drag unknown files into KeePass application
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized file drag-and-drop operations
- Use network segmentation to limit access to systems running vulnerable KeePass versions
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check KeePass version in Help → About. If version is below 2.44, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: Check Help → About in KeePass GUI. No command-line version check available.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify KeePass version is 2.44 or higher in Help → About menu.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Application crash logs from KeePass
- Unexpected termination events in system logs
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
EventID: 1000 OR EventID: 1001 AND ProcessName: KeePass.exe