Buffer overflow in Vim
CVE-2026-26269
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to 9.1.2148, a stack buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Vim's NetBeans integration when processing the specialKeys command, affecting Vim builds that enable and use the NetBeans feature. The Stack buffer overflow exists in special_keys() (in src/netbeans.c). The while (*tok) loop writes two bytes per iteration into a 64-byte stack buffer (keybuf) with no bounds check. A malicious NetBeans server can overflow keybuf with a single specialKeys command. The issue has been fixed as of Vim patch v9.1.2148.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 5.4 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.005 (41.1th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 41st percentile — 41.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.005 · change: +0.002
Affected products
- Vim — versions < 9.1.2148
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-9w5c-hwr9-hc68 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/vim/vim/commit/c5f312aad8e4179e437f81ad39a860cd0ef11970 (Patch)
- github.com/vim/vim/releases/tag/v9.1.2148 (Release Notes)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 (Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-26269?
- CVE-2026-26269 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Vim, classified under Stack-based Buffer Overflow. CVSS score: 5.4/10. Published 2026-02-13.
- How severe is CVE-2026-26269?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.4 out of 10.