dbcve.org
KcoreaddonsPlugin / extension · Kde

CVE-2026-41526

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.25.0 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
In KDE KCoreAddons before 6.25, KShell::quoteArgs is intended to safely quote arguments so that they can be passed to a shell command. This parsing does not adequately handle metacharacters, leading to an escape from the shell. All applications relying on this method in a security-critical path to handle user input are affected and could be exploited. In particular, because sendInput() sends a string to a terminal, a control character such as \x01 can be used during injection.

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 · moderate confidence

KShell::quoteArgs in KDE KCoreAddons before 6.25 fails to properly escape metacharacters when quoting shell arguments, allowing shell injection. The vulnerability is exploitable through sendInput() which passes strings directly to a terminal, where control characters like \x01 can be injected to escape the intended command context.

MitigationUpgrade to KCoreAddons 6.25 or later; audit all code paths using KShell::quoteArgs in security-critical contexts and validate/sanitize user input before passing to shell commands.

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
KcoreaddonsPlugin / extension
Affected:< 6.25.0

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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. Identify KCoreAddons library version
    Run 'kcoreaddons-version' or check the package manager (e.g., 'dpkg -l libkcoreaddons6' on Debian-based systems, 'rpm -q kcoreaddons' on RHEL-based systems)
    Affected if The installed version is less than 6.25.0
  2. Locate KShell module in use
    Search the application or system for KCoreAddons library files: 'find /usr -name "*kcoreaddons*" -o -name "*KShell*"' and note the shared object version
    Affected if The library file version is below 6.25
  3. Identify usage of KShell::quoteArgs
    Search source code for 'KShell::quoteArgs' or 'quoteArgs' calls using grep: 'grep -r "quoteArgs" /path/to/source/'
    Affected if Code calls KShell::quoteArgs to quote shell arguments
  4. Identify usage of sendInput()
    Search source code for 'sendInput' function calls that interact with terminal/shell: 'grep -r "sendInput" /path/to/source/'
    Affected if Code uses sendInput() to pass strings directly to a terminal
  5. Check for user input to shell pathways
    Audit code paths where user-supplied strings flow into KShell::quoteArgs or sendInput calls: review input validation in the affected source files
    Affected if User-controllable input reaches either KShell::quoteArgs or sendInput without additional sanitization

You are affected if KCoreAddons version is below 6.25.0 AND your application uses KShell::quoteArgs combined with sendInput() or passes user input to shell-quoted 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 6.25.0 or later
Fixed in 6.25.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to KCoreAddons 6.25 or later; audit all code paths using KShell::quoteArgs in security-critical contexts and validate/sanitize user input before passing to shell commands.

Recommended fix High confidence

KCoreAddons 6.25.0

  1. Check the current version of KCoreAddons installed on the system
  2. Update KCoreAddons to version 6.25.0 or later via the system's package manager or distribution update mechanism
  3. Verify the update was successful by checking the installed version

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

Fix this in Kcoreaddons Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,870
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,592.

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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-2026-41526 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