How to Fix CVE-2026-2974: Exposure of backup file to an unauthorized control sphere in AliasVault App

By Sai Kiran Pandrala. Last verified: 2026-05-25.

CVE-2026-2974 is a exposure of backup file to an unauthorized control sphere in n/a AliasVault App. The fix is to upgrade to AliasVault App 0.26.0.

What is CVE-2026-2974?

A vulnerability was identified in AliasVault App up to 0.25.3 on Android/iOS. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file shared_prefs/aliasvault.xml of the component Backup Handler. The manipulation of the argument accessToken/refreshToken/metadata/key_derivation_params/auth_methods leads to exposure of backup file to an unauthorized control sphere. An attack has to be approached locally. The attack is considered to have high complexity. It is stated that the exploitability is difficult. The exploit is publicly available and might be used. Upgrading to version 0.26.0 is able to resolve this issue. The identifier of the patch is 873ecc03f92238e162f98a068ad56069a922b4f6/0bd662320174d8265dfe3b05a04bc13efc960532. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The creator of the software explains: "Because of AliasVault's zero-knowledge encryption design, the tokens stored in aliasvault.xml are API session tokens that cannot decrypt the vault on their own: the master password is required for that. So while this isn't a direct vault compromise risk, there's no reason to include them in backups either." The CVSS base score is 2 (Low). The official advisory is at https://vuldb.com/?id.347340.

Am I affected?

Check the version of AliasVault App you are running and compare it against the Affected row above (AliasVault App 0.25.0; AliasVault App 0.25.1; AliasVault App 0.25.2; AliasVault App 0.25.3). If your build sits inside the affected range, you must patch.

Run the version check that fits your platform:

# Linux package check
dpkg -s aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null
command -v aliasvault-app >/dev/null && aliasvault-app --version 2>/dev/null

# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-Package -Name "*AliasVault App*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, Version
winget list --name "AliasVault App" 2>$null

How to fix CVE-2026-2974

Upgrade AliasVault App to a patched build: AliasVault App 0.26.0. The vendor advisory is the source of truth for the exact fixed version.

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade aliasvault-app
dpkg -s aliasvault-app | grep -i ^Version

RHEL / CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh aliasvault-app -y
# or for older releases:
sudo yum update aliasvault-app -y
rpm -q aliasvault-app

SUSE / openSUSE

sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update aliasvault-app
rpm -q aliasvault-app

Node.js / npm

# Update the affected package in your project
npm install AliasVault App@latest
npm ls AliasVault App
npm audit fix

Complete PowerShell remediation script (Windows)

# Fix script for CVE-2026-2974 affecting AliasVault App
# Run as administrator. Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
$LogPath  = "C:\Logs\CVE-2026-2974-fix-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd-HHmmss).log"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force (Split-Path $LogPath) | Out-Null
Start-Transcript -Path $LogPath -Append

try {
    Write-Host "[1/4] Detect installed version"
    $pkg = Get-Package -Name "*AliasVault App*" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($pkg) { $pkg | Format-Table Name, Version }
    else { Write-Host "Not detected via Get-Package; try winget list" }

    Write-Host "[2/4] Backup configuration"
    $backup = "C:\Backup\aliasvault-app-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd)"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $backup | Out-Null
    Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\AliasVault App" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
        Copy-Item -Destination $backup -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

    Write-Host "[3/4] Apply the upgrade to AliasVault App 0.26.0"
    winget upgrade --name "AliasVault App" --silent --accept-source-agreements --accept-package-agreements
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
        # Fallback: pull latest via OS update channel
        Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate
        Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -IgnoreReboot
    }

    Write-Host "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
    winget list --name "AliasVault App"
    Write-Host "Patch applied. Reboot if prompted."
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Patch failed: $_"
    exit 1
} finally {
    Stop-Transcript
}

Complete Bash remediation script (Linux)

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Fix script for CVE-2026-2974 affecting AliasVault App
# Detect -> backup -> upgrade -> verify -> log.

set -euo pipefail
LOG="/var/log/cve-2026-2974-fix-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).log"
exec > >(tee -a "$LOG") 2>&1

echo "[1/4] Detect installed version"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version || echo "aliasvault-app not installed via dpkg"
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q aliasvault-app || echo "aliasvault-app not installed via rpm"
fi

echo "[2/4] Backup configuration"
BACKUP="/root/backup-cve-2026-2974-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP"
for d in /etc/aliasvault-app /etc/aliasvault-app.d /etc/aliasvault-app.conf; do
    [ -e "$d" ] && cp -a "$d" "$BACKUP/" || true
done

echo "[3/4] Apply the upgrade (target: AliasVault App 0.26.0)"
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null; then
    apt-get update
    apt-get install --only-upgrade -y aliasvault-app
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null; then
    dnf upgrade --refresh -y aliasvault-app
elif command -v yum >/dev/null; then
    yum update -y aliasvault-app
elif command -v zypper >/dev/null; then
    zypper --non-interactive update aliasvault-app
fi

echo "[4/4] Verify the patched build"
if command -v dpkg >/dev/null; then
    dpkg -s aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
elif command -v rpm >/dev/null; then
    rpm -q aliasvault-app
fi
echo "Done. Restart any service that loaded the old library."

If you can't patch immediately

Apply at least one of the following inline controls until you can deploy the patched build. None replace the upgrade.

Restrict exposure with nftables (Linux)

# Allow only trusted CIDR to reach the affected service ports
sudo nft add table inet filter 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add chain inet filter input { type filter hook input priority 0 ; }' 2>/dev/null || true
sudo nft 'add rule inet filter input tcp dport {80, 443} ip saddr != 10.0.0.0/8 drop'
sudo nft list ruleset

Block at the host firewall (Windows)

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-2974" -Direction Inbound -Action Block -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80,443 -RemoteAddress Any -Enabled True
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block-CVE-2026-2974"

Disable the affected service (Linux)

sudo systemctl stop aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null || true
sudo systemctl disable aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null || true

If the vendor advisory lists an official workaround, prefer that wording verbatim. If no workaround is published, the only safe remediation is the patch.

How to verify the fix worked

After upgrading, confirm the installed version matches the patched build and that no old library is still loaded by a long-running process.

# Linux
dpkg -s aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null | grep -i ^Version
rpm -q aliasvault-app 2>/dev/null || true
# Pid map check for old library handles
sudo lsof +c0 2>/dev/null | grep -i "DEL.*lib" || true

# Windows
Get-Package -Name "*AliasVault App*" | Select-Object Name, Version
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

Expected: the reported version is at or above AliasVault App 0.26.0. Restart the affected service (systemctl restart <service> on Linux, or restart the Windows service) so it loads the patched binary.

Frequently asked questions

Related fixes

Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:

• How to Fix CVE-2026-6648: Cross-site scripting in CMS — Cross-site scripting in CMS
• How to Fix CVE-2026-25349: Critical Vulnerability in Loobek — Critical Vulnerability in Loobek
• How to Fix CVE-2026-42213: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') , Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
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• How to Fix CVE-2026-26093: Command Injection in opds , Command Injection in opds

Is CVE-2026-2974 actively exploited?

There is no public confirmation of exploitation in the wild listed in CISA KEV at the time of this writing. Patch anyway. Public exploits commonly follow disclosure within weeks.

Do I need to reboot after patching CVE-2026-2974?

For kernel and OS-level updates, yes. For most userland packages a systemctl restart <service> is enough on Linux, and restarting the Windows service or app on Windows. Any process that loaded the old library keeps using it until restarted.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-2974?

2 (Low). Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P.

Where is the official advisory for CVE-2026-2974?

The vendor advisory is at https://vuldb.com/?id.347340. The NVD record is at https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-2974.

References

• Official vendor advisory: https://vuldb.com/?id.347340
• NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-2974
• CISA KEV catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
• Additional reference: https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.347340
• Additional reference: https://vuldb.com/?submit.756058
• Additional reference: https://vuldb.com/?submit.756059

*Written by Sai Kiran Pandrala. Assembled from the official vendor advisory, NVD record, and CISA KEV listing on 2026-05-25. Always confirm against the vendor's advisory before applying changes in production.*