Arbitrary Code Execution Vulnerability in Vim's Netrw Plugin
CVE-2026-43961

7.8HIGH

Key Information:

Vendor

Red Hat
Status
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Vendor
CVE Published:
19 August 2026

What is CVE-2026-43961?

A vulnerability exists in Vim's netrw plugin that allows a crafted filename, containing quote characters and expression fragments, to escape the intended context during a mark/unmark operation. This flaw opens the door for arbitrary Vimscript execution, which could potentially enable an attacker to execute shell commands with the privileges of the user operating Vim. Users should be cautious and ensure they are using the latest versions to mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability.

References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-43961
vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHAT
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460434
issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHAT
https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-66hr-...

CVSS V3.1

Score:
7.8
Severity:
HIGH
Confidentiality:
High
Integrity:
High
Availability:
High
Attack Vector:
Local
Attack Complexity:
Low
Privileges Required:
None
User Interaction:
Required
Scope:
Unchanged

Timeline

  • Vulnerability published

  • Vulnerability Reserved

Credit

Red Hat would like to thank AISLE Research for reporting this issue.
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