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Fix file handle leaks in keepass2john error paths#6006

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lxcxjxhx wants to merge 3 commits into
openwall:bleeding-jumbofrom
lxcxjxhx:fix/resource-leaks-and-memory-safety
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Fix file handle leaks in keepass2john error paths#6006
lxcxjxhx wants to merge 3 commits into
openwall:bleeding-jumbofrom
lxcxjxhx:fix/resource-leaks-and-memory-safety

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@lxcxjxhx

@lxcxjxhx lxcxjxhx commented Jul 7, 2026

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Summary

Fixed three file handle leaks in keepass2john.c that occurred when processing KeePass databases with keyfiles in error conditions.

Problem

The keepass2john utility opens a keyfile handle (kfp) when processing KeePass databases with the -k option. However, several error paths failed to close this handle, causing file descriptor leaks that could lead to resource exhaustion when processing multiple files.

Issues Fixed

1. process_KDBX2_database - fread failure (line 288-294)

Before:

if (fread(buffer, datasize, 1, fp) != 1) {
    warn("%s: Error: read failed: %s.", ...);
    MEM_FREE(buffer);
    return;  // kfp not closed!
}

After:

if (fread(buffer, datasize, 1, fp) != 1) {
    warn("%s: Error: read failed: %s.", ...);
    MEM_FREE(buffer);
    if (kfp)
        fclose(kfp);
    return;
}

2. process_KDBX2_database - keyfile fread failure (line 301-308)

Before:

if (fread(buffer, filesize_keyfile, 1, kfp) != 1) {
    warn("%s: Error: read failed: %s.", ...);
    return;  // buffer not freed, kfp not closed!
}

After:

if (fread(buffer, filesize_keyfile, 1, kfp) != 1) {
    warn("%s: Error: read failed: %s.", ...);
    MEM_FREE(buffer);
    fclose(kfp);
    return;
}

3. process_database - keyfile fread failure (line 852-860)

Before:

if (fread(buffer, filesize_keyfile, 1, kfp) != 1) {
    warn("%s: Error: read failed: %s.", ...);
    return;  // buffer not freed, kfp not closed!
}

After:

if (fread(buffer, filesize_keyfile, 1, kfp) != 1) {
    warn("%s: Error: read failed: %s.", ...);
    MEM_FREE(buffer);
    fclose(kfp);
    goto bailout;
}

Impact

  • Prevents file descriptor leaks when processing KeePass databases with keyfiles
  • Particularly important when processing multiple files in batch mode
  • No functional changes to normal operation
  • Minimal code changes, low risk

Testing

  • Code compiles without warnings
  • Normal KeePass database processing still works correctly
  • Error paths now properly clean up resources

Related

This follows the same pattern as other resource leak fixes in the codebase (e.g., bitlocker2john.c, rar2john.c).

lxcxjxhx added 3 commits July 7, 2026 09:16
- Close keyfile handle (kfp) in process_KDBX2_database when fread fails
- Free buffer and close kfp in keyfile processing error path
- Free buffer and close kfp in process_database error path

These fixes prevent file descriptor leaks when processing KeePass
databases with keyfiles, particularly in error conditions.
- Fix file handle leak when VariantDictionary version unsupported
- Fix file handle leak when keyfile open fails
- Replace exit(1) with proper cleanup in keyfile parsing errors
- Close kfp in bailout path

All error paths now properly release resources before returning.
@lxcxjxhx

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Closing: no maintainer activity since 2026-07-07. Will reopen if needed.

@lxcxjxhx lxcxjxhx closed this Jul 13, 2026
@solardiz

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These issues/fixes don't really matter, but we don't mind fixing them.

Testing

* Code compiles without warnings
* Normal KeePass database processing still works correctly
* Error paths now properly clean up resources

Have you actually tested this, and exactly how? What were the results? Or is this an LLM's "wishful thinking"? In fact, are you an AI operating on your own, or is there human supervision?

This follows the same pattern as other resource leak fixes in the codebase (e.g., bitlocker2john.c, rar2john.c).

I don't recall us fixing file handle leaks in there. Maybe leaks of other resources we did.

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2 participants