7.8
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-42851
@kitty-edit DCS + --color=geninclude vulnerable to Unauthenticated in-process RCE
Description

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.0, a program able to write bytes to a kitty terminal — a remote SSH peer, a downloaded file viewed with `cat`, a log line, an email body rendered in `less`, an issue body in a TUI, etc. — can cause kitty to execute attacker-supplied Python inside the running kitty process, with the user's full privileges. There is no approval prompt, no remote-control permission requirement, no shell-integration interaction, no clipboard touch, and no editor interaction. Version 0.47.0 fixes the issue.

INFO

Published Date :

June 12, 2026, 8:16 p.m.

Last Modified :

June 12, 2026, 8:16 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

No
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-42851 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Kovidgoyal kitty
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update Kitty terminal to version 0.47.0 or later to mitigate arbitrary code execution.
  • Update Kitty terminal to version 0.47.0 or later.
  • Ensure all Kitty terminal instances are upgraded.
  • Review system privileges for affected users.
  • Monitor for any signs of compromise.
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-2026-42851.

URL Resource
https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/security/advisories/GHSA-w98g-hpvr-r332
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-42851 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

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-2026-42851 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-42851 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.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jun. 12, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.0, a program able to write bytes to a kitty terminal — a remote SSH peer, a downloaded file viewed with `cat`, a log line, an email body rendered in `less`, an issue body in a TUI, etc. — can cause kitty to execute attacker-supplied Python inside the running kitty process, with the user's full privileges. There is no approval prompt, no remote-control permission requirement, no shell-integration interaction, no clipboard touch, and no editor interaction. Version 0.47.0 fixes the issue.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CWE CWE-94
    Added CWE CWE-862
    Added Reference https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/security/advisories/GHSA-w98g-hpvr-r332
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.