VulnerabilityPublished 12 Mar 2026Updated 15 Oct 2026

CVE-2025-70873: sqlite3 · Heap Inspection

Affects sqlite3Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 39% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 12 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Sqlitesqlite/sqlite3`pkg:deb/sqlite/sqlite3`Other threats	Affected <=3.51.1	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Immediately audit and inventory all systems and applications using SQLite versions 3.51.1 or earlier, especially those that process ZIP files via the zipfile extension.
Restrict or disable processing of untrusted or unauthenticated ZIP files until a patch is available.
Implement network-level controls to limit exposure of services that accept ZIP files from untrusted sources.
Monitor logs and network traffic for unusual or suspicious ZIP file activity that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Employ application-layer filtering or sandboxing to isolate ZIP file processing and prevent heap memory exposure.
Stay informed on vendor advisories and apply patches promptly once released.
Consider using alternative libraries or updated SQLite versions without the vulnerable zipfile extension for ZIP decompression.
Conduct penetration testing and code review focused on ZIP file handling to identify similar weaknesses.
Educate developers and system administrators about the risks of processing crafted ZIP files and secure coding practices related to memory handling.
Prepare incident response plans to quickly address potential data leakage incidents stemming from this vulnerability.

Description

An information disclosure issue in the zipfileInflate function in the zipfile extension in SQLite v3.51.1 and earlier allows attackers to obtain heap memory via supplying a crafted ZIP file.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2025-70873 is unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information from heap memory, which can compromise confidentiality. Organizations relying on SQLite for data storage and processing ZIP files are at risk of leaking sensitive data such as credentials, encryption keys, or personal information. This can lead to further attacks like privilege escalation, identity theft, or data breaches. Since the vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability, it does not directly cause data corruption or service disruption. However, the exposure of sensitive data can have severe downstream consequences, including regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and loss of customer trust. The ease of remote exploitation without authentication or user interaction increases the threat surface, especially for internet-facing applications or services that handle ZIP files. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently limits immediate impact, but the high CVSS score and widespread use of SQLite suggest a significant risk if exploited. Organizations with automated processing of ZIP files or embedded SQLite in critical systems should consider this vulnerability a serious threat.

CWE-244Improper Clearing of Heap Memory Before Release ('Heap Inspection') (opens in a new tab)
Variant weakness
Using realloc() to resize buffers that store sensitive information can leave the sensitive information exposed to attack, because it is not removed from memory.
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.3.2 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.6 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 20 Mar 2026, 02:21 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-244

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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