CVE-2025-4878: Use After Free
A vulnerability was found in libssh, where an uninitialized variable exists under certain conditions in the privatekey_from_file() function. This flaw can be triggered if the file specified by the filename doesn't exist and may lead to possible signing failures or heap corruption.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability in libssh arises from an uninitialized variable in the privatekey_from_file() function when the filename parameter points to a non-existent file. The flaw can lead to possible signing failures or heap corruption. The CVSS 3.1 score is 3.6, reflecting low impact with local attack vector, high attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and limited confidentiality and integrity impact. The vendor advisory from Red Hat does not explicitly state patch availability or mitigation steps.
Potential Impact
The impact includes potential signing failures and heap corruption, which could affect the stability or reliability of applications relying on libssh for private key operations. Confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated low, and availability is not affected. There are no known exploits in the wild, reducing immediate risk.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-4878 for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is confirmed, avoid scenarios where privatekey_from_file() is called with non-existent filenames or ensure input validation to prevent triggering the flaw.
CVE-2025-4878: Use After Free
Description
A vulnerability was found in libssh, where an uninitialized variable exists under certain conditions in the privatekey_from_file() function. This flaw can be triggered if the file specified by the filename doesn't exist and may lead to possible signing failures or heap corruption.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability in libssh arises from an uninitialized variable in the privatekey_from_file() function when the filename parameter points to a non-existent file. The flaw can lead to possible signing failures or heap corruption. The CVSS 3.1 score is 3.6, reflecting low impact with local attack vector, high attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and limited confidentiality and integrity impact. The vendor advisory from Red Hat does not explicitly state patch availability or mitigation steps.
Potential Impact
The impact includes potential signing failures and heap corruption, which could affect the stability or reliability of applications relying on libssh for private key operations. Confidentiality and integrity impacts are rated low, and availability is not affected. There are no known exploits in the wild, reducing immediate risk.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-4878 for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is confirmed, avoid scenarios where privatekey_from_file() is called with non-existent filenames or ensure input validation to prevent triggering the flaw.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2025-05-16T22:28:46.782Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-4878","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 687fa0aca83201eaac1ccc8a
Added to database: 7/22/2025, 2:31:08 PM
Last enriched: 5/7/2026, 1:48:12 AM
Last updated: 5/9/2026, 4:56:37 AM
Views: 137
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