Overview
The KDE Konsole, a popular terminal emulator for the KDE desktop environment, has a notable vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-49091. This vulnerability affects KDE Konsole versions prior to 25.04.2. The risk is significant due to the remote code execution capability it provides to potential attackers, posing a substantial threat to both personal and enterprise systems running vulnerable versions of KDE Konsole. The severity of this vulnerability underscores the importance of regular software updates and vigilant cybersecurity measures.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-49091
Severity: High (8.2/10)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
Escape the Surveillance Era
Most apps won’t tell you the truth.
They’re part of the problem.
Phone numbers. Emails. Profiles. Logs.
It’s all fuel for surveillance.
Ameeba Chat gives you a way out.
- • No phone number
- • No email
- • No personal info
- • Anonymous aliases
- • End-to-end encrypted
Chat without a trace.
Product | Affected Versions
KDE Konsole | Versions prior to 25.04.2
How the Exploit Works
This vulnerability lies in KDE Konsole’s handling of URL scheme handlers such as ssh://, telnet://, or rlogin://. When a URL with such a scheme is loaded, there is a code path where it attempts to execute the respective binaries (ssh, telnet, or rlogin). However, if these binaries are not available, Konsole defaults to using /bin/bash for the given arguments, which in this case would be the URL provided. This creates a situation where an attacker could provide a malicious URL that, when loaded in KDE Konsole, executes arbitrary code on the system.
Conceptual Example Code
Given the nature of this vulnerability, an example exploit could involve an attacker tricking a user into loading a malicious URL in KDE Konsole. The URL could contain bash commands that exploit the vulnerability.
ssh://;$({malicious_command})When loaded in the KDE Konsole of a vulnerable system, this URL could cause arbitrary command execution. The precise nature of the malicious command would depend on the attacker’s objectives, such as gaining unauthorized access, exfiltrating data, or disrupting system operations.
Please note that this is a conceptual example meant for educational purposes. Attempting to exploit vulnerabilities without permission is illegal and unethical.
Mitigation and Remediation
Users are strongly advised to update their KDE Konsole to version 25.04.2 or later, which contains a patch for this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) may provide temporary mitigation by blocking or alerting on suspicious URLs. However, these measures are not a substitute for applying the vendor’s patch. Always practice good cybersecurity habits, including regular software updates and caution with unfamiliar URLs.