Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
KeePass 2.33 and earlier had an automatic update weakness. A network attacker positioned between the user and update check could spoof the response and provide a malicious update, leading to arbitrary code execution. The source bundle does not cite active exploitation.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for managed workstations running old KeePass versions, especially privileged users. Business impact is potentially severe because successful exploitation runs attacker-controlled code on a system that may handle password vault operations.
Technical view
The issue is in KeePass 2 automatic update handling. The CVE description says a man-in-the-middle attacker can spoof the version check response and supply a crafted update. Impact is code execution on the affected endpoint, with the key precondition of network interception.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to KeePass 2.33 and earlier installations using the affected automatic update feature. Risk is higher on untrusted networks or environments where update traffic can be intercepted. The bundle's structured affected fields are incomplete, but the title and description identify KeePass versions.
Exploitation context
The bundle includes public advisory-style references, but no KEV listing and no cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires a man-in-the-middle position and user or application interaction with the affected update process.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for the vulnerability class, affected version range, and MITM update-spoofing condition. The bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, complete CPE data, active exploitation evidence, or a named fixed release.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory endpoints for KeePass 2.33 and earlier.
- Check KeePass vendor guidance for fixed versions or supported upgrade paths.
- Retire or upgrade affected installations according to vendor guidance.
- Reduce exposure to untrusted networks until affected clients are remediated.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed KeePass versions across managed endpoints.
- Review whether automatic update checks are enabled on affected clients.
- Check network logs for suspicious KeePass update-related traffic where available.
- Document remediation status for every affected endpoint.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Execution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-5119 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/137274/KeePass-2-Man-In-The-Middle.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://bogner.sh/2016/03/mitm-attack-against-keepass-2s-update-check/CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://sourceforge.net/p/keepass/discussion/329220/thread/e430cc12/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.