NULL pointer dereference in Notepad-Plus-Plus

CVE-2026-86056

Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.8, the NPPM_SAVESESSION handler in PowerEditor/src/NppBigSwitch.cpp converts lParam to a sessionInfo pointer and dereferences its nbFile, files, and sessionFilePathName members without checking for null. A process running at the same or a higher Windows integrity level on the same desktop can send NPPM_SAVESESSION with a null lParam, immediately terminating Notepad++ and causing denial of service and loss of unsaved documents. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.8.

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.002 (5.4th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 5.4% 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-2026-86056: held from 0.002 to 0.002.

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

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-86056?
CVE-2026-86056 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Notepad-Plus-Plus, classified under NULL Pointer Dereference. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2026-09-22.
How severe is CVE-2026-86056?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.