CVE-2026-38972
Notepad3 DLL Search Order Hijacking
Description
Notepad3 through 6.25.822.1 contains a DLL search-order hijacking vulnerability in the About-dialog code path in src/Notepad3.c. The application calls LoadLibrary(L"MSFTEDIT.DLL") with a bare DLL name, which allows a local attacker to place a malicious MSFTEDIT.DLL in the application directory or another preferred DLL search location and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the user when the About dialog is opened.
INFO
Published Date :
July 2, 2026, 9:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 8, 2026, 6:49 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 |
Solution
- Update Notepad3 to the latest version available.
- Ensure DLLs are loaded using full paths.
- Remove malicious DLLs from application directories.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-38972.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3 | Product |
| https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues/5605 | Exploit Issue Tracking |
| https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/pull/5606 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues/5605 | Exploit Issue Tracking |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-38972 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-38972
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-38972 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-38972 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 08, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:rizonesoft:notepad3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (including) 6.25.822.1 Added Reference Type MITRE: https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3 Types: Product Added Reference Type MITRE: https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues/5605 Types: Exploit, Issue Tracking Added Reference Type MITRE: https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/pull/5606 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues/5605 Types: Exploit, Issue Tracking -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jul. 06, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-427 Added Reference https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues/5605 Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-38972', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'poc'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-07-06T14:42:46.409319Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jul. 02, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'n/a', 'product': 'n/a', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': 'n/a'}]}] Added Description Notepad3 through 6.25.822.1 contains a DLL search-order hijacking vulnerability in the About-dialog code path in src/Notepad3.c. The application calls LoadLibrary(L"MSFTEDIT.DLL") with a bare DLL name, which allows a local attacker to place a malicious MSFTEDIT.DLL in the application directory or another preferred DLL search location and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the user when the About dialog is opened. Added Reference https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3 Added Reference https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/issues/5605 Added Reference https://github.com/rizonesoft/Notepad3/pull/5606