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SqlcipherApplication · Zetetic

CVE-2020-27207

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.4.1 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Zetetic SQLCipher 4.x before 4.4.1 has a use-after-free, related to sqlcipher_codec_pragma and sqlite3Strlen30 in sqlite3.c. A remote denial of service attack can be performed. For example, a SQL injection can be used to execute the crafted SQL command sequence. After that, some unexpected RAM data is read.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Zetetic SQLCipher 4.x before 4.4.1 contains a use-after-free vulnerability in the sqlcipher_codec_pragma function when interacting with sqlite3Strlen30 in sqlite3.c. A remote attacker can exploit this via SQL injection to execute a crafted SQL command sequence that triggers the use-after-free, causing the application to read unexpected RAM data. This can lead to denial of service and potential information disclosure.

MitigationUpgrade Zetetic SQLCipher to version 4.4.1 or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability. After updating, thoroughly test application functionality as the library handles encrypted database operations.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
SqlcipherApplication
Affected:>= 4.0, < 4.4.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if SQLCipher is in use
    Check your application or system for SQLCipher library files (.so, .dll, .dylib) or headers (sqlcipher.h). Look in application bin directories, lib folders, or examine linked libraries via 'ldd' on Linux or 'dumpbin /dependents' on Windows.
    Affected if SQLCipher library files or headers are present in your environment
  2. Determine installed SQLCipher version
    Check the version string in the SQLCipher library itself. Run 'strings libsqlcipher.so | grep -i version' or examine version information in the library metadata. Also check build configuration files, package manifests, or dependency lists that specify the SQLCipher version.
    Affected if The identified version is 4.0.0 through 4.4.0 (anything >= 4.0 but < 4.4.1)
  3. Verify SQL execution with user input
    Review application code and configuration to determine if SQL queries can include user-supplied input without proper parameterization. Check for dynamic SQL construction, string concatenation into SQL statements, or ORM usage that passes unsanitized user data to database queries.
    Affected if User-controlled input flows directly into SQL queries without using parameterized statements or proper escaping
  4. Confirm database encryption is enabled
    Verify that the application configures SQLCipher for encrypted database operations. Check initialization code for 'PRAGMA key' or 'PRAGMA cipher' settings, or look for key derivation from passwords that enable SQLCipher encryption.
    Affected if SQLCipher encryption is actively used (the vulnerability affects encrypted database operations)
  5. Review SQL injection attack surface
    Audit web endpoints, APIs, file parsers, or other input vectors that interact with the database. Determine if any allow unauthenticated or authenticated users to inject arbitrary SQL commands through query parameters, form inputs, or imported data files.
    Affected if SQL injection is possible and can reach the SQLCipher database layer

Your environment is affected if you use SQLCipher version 4.0.0 through 4.4.0, execute SQL queries with user input, and an attacker can inject crafted SQL commands through available input vectors.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.4.1 or later
Fixed in 4.4.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Zetetic SQLCipher to version 4.4.1 or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability. After updating, thoroughly test application functionality as the library handles encrypted database operations.

Fix this in Sqlcipher Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-27207 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data