Path Traversal in Vim

CVE-2025-53905

Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.1.1552, a path traversal issue in Vim’s tar.vim plugin can allow overwriting of arbitrary files when opening specially crafted tar archives. Impact is low because this exploit requires direct user interaction. However, successfully exploitation can lead to overwriting sensitive files or placing executable code in privileged locations, depending on the permissions of the process editing the archive. The victim must edit such a file using Vim which will reveal the filename and the file content, a careful user may suspect some strange things going on. Successful exploitation could results in the ability to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system. Version 9.1.1552 contains a patch for the vulnerability.

Vulnerability class: Path Traversal (Directory Traversal)

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 4.1 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.003 (15.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 15th percentile — 15.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2025-53905: held from 0.002 to 0.003.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.003 · change: +0.000

Affected products

  • Vim — versions < 9.1.1552

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-53905?
CVE-2025-53905 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Vim, classified under Path Traversal. CVSS score: 4.1/10. Published 2025-07-15.
How severe is CVE-2025-53905?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 4.1 out of 10.