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KeybaseApplication

CVE-2021-34426

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.6.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A vulnerability was discovered in the Keybase Client for Windows before version 5.6.0 when a user executed the "keybase git lfs-config" command on the command-line. In versions prior to 5.6.0, a malicious actor with write access to a user\'s Git repository could leverage this vulnerability to potentially execute arbitrary Windows commands on a user\'s local system.

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

A command injection vulnerability exists in the Keybase Client for Windows (versions before 5.6.0) when executing the 'keybase git lfs-config' command. A malicious actor with write access to a user's Git repository can inject arbitrary Windows commands that will execute on the user's local system when they run this command.

MitigationUpgrade Keybase Client for Windows to version 5.6.0 or later. Avoid running 'keybase git lfs-config' on repositories from untrusted or unverified sources until the update is applied.

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
KeybaseApplication
Affected:< 5.6.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Verify Keybase for Windows is installed
    Check for Keybase installation in typical Windows locations: C:\Program Files\Keybase\Keybase.exe, or look for Keybase in Add/Remove Programs, or run 'where keybase' in Command Prompt
    Affected if Keybase for Windows is found on the system
  2. Determine installed Keybase version
    Run 'keybase --version' in Command Prompt or PowerShell, or right-click Keybase.exe > Properties > Details to view the version
    Affected if Version number is lower than 5.6.0 (e.g., 5.5.0, 5.4.2, etc.)
  3. Check for recent 'keybase git lfs-config' command execution
    Review command history (Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or CMD history), or check Git repository logs for invocations of this specific command
    Affected if The command 'keybase git lfs-config' has been executed on the system
  4. Assess Git repository exposure
    Identify Git repositories on the system and determine if any are shared with or accessible to untrusted parties who could inject malicious LFS configuration
    Affected if User works with Git repositories where untrusted or unverified contributors have write access
  5. Confirm LFS is enabled in vulnerable repositories
    Check for .gitattributes files containing LFS filter configurations, or run 'git lfs ls-files' in repositories where 'keybase git lfs-config' was run
    Affected if LFS is used in repositories that were processed with the vulnerable command

User is affected if Keybase for Windows version is below 5.6.0 AND the 'keybase git lfs-config' command has been run on repositories where a malicious actor could inject commands.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.6.0 or later
Fixed in 5.6.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Keybase Client for Windows to version 5.6.0 or later. Avoid running 'keybase git lfs-config' on repositories from untrusted or unverified sources until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Keybase 5.6.0 or later

  1. Back up any important Keybase data stored locally as a precautionary measure
  2. Close the running Keybase client completely
  3. Download Keybase version 5.6.0 or later from the official Keybase website or trusted distribution channel
  4. Run the Keybase installer for the new version and follow the installation prompts
  5. After installation completes, launch Keybase and verify the version number shows 5.6.0 or higher

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Keybase Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2021-34426 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