Macro Execution Vulnerability in Notepad++ by Notepad++

CVE-2026-71858

What is CVE-2026-71858?

Notepad++, a widely used open-source code editor, has a vulnerability that allows malicious actors to exploit macros loaded from a compromised shortcuts.xml file. This security flaw enables attackers to bypass the HMAC validation process applied to user-defined commands, which could result in unauthorized file modifications and the execution of elevated commands within an affected Notepad++ process. This issue is particularly concerning when an attacker can influence the application's settings directory and a user inadvertently triggers a malicious macro. The vulnerability has been addressed and resolved in Notepad++ version 8.9.7.

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