# CVE-2021-34421: Retained exploded messages in Keybase Clients for Android and iOS

> Attackers can recover sensitive data from Keybase mobile apps if exploded messages are not properly deleted when the app is backgrounded.

- **Severity:** Low 3.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Nov 2021
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9j45-jfq7-hc4v

## What is CVE-2021-34421?

CVE-2021-34421 is a low-severity vulnerability in Zoom Video Communications Inc Keybase Client for Android, published on 11 Nov 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Keybase Client for Android before version 5.8.0 and the Keybase Client for iOS before version 5.8.0 fails to properly remove exploded messages initiated by a user if the receiving user places the chat session in the background while the sending user explodes the messages. This could lead to disclosure of sensitive information which was meant to be deleted from the customer's device.

Weakness: CWE-459 (Incomplete Cleanup)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-34421?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Keybase Keybase.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-34421?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-34421 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-34421 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-34421 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Zoom Video Communications Inc Keybase Client for Android

- [CVE-2019-7249](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-7249/): Race condition in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2018-18629](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-18629/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2019-16992](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16992/): Other in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2021-34422](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34422/): Path traversal of file names in Keybase Client for Windows (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2021-23827](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23827/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-34421 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-34421 is a low-severity vulnerability in Zoom Video Communications Inc Keybase Client for Android, published on 11 Nov 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-34421 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Zoom Video Communications Inc Keybase Client for Android. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34421/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34421/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-34421
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34421
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-34421

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-34421/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.