CVE-2026-45130
Vim: Heap Buffer Overflow in spell file loading
Description
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.2.0450, a heap buffer overflow exists in read_compound() in src/spellfile.c when loading a crafted spell file (.spl) with UTF-8 encoding active. An attacker-controlled length field in the spell file's compound section overflows a 32-bit signed integer multiplication, causing a small buffer to be allocated for a write loop that runs many iterations, overflowing the heap. Because the 'spelllang' option can be set from a modeline, a text file modeline can trigger spell file loading if a malicious .spl file has been planted on the runtimepath. This issue has been patched in version 9.2.0450.
INFO
Published Date :
May 8, 2026, 11:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
May 18, 2026, 2:22 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update Vim to version 9.2.0450 or later.
- Avoid loading untrusted spell files.
- Disable modeline parsing if possible.
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-2026-45130.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/92993329178cb1f72d700fff45ca86e1c2d369f8 | Patch |
| https://github.com/vim/vim/releases/tag/v9.2.0450 | Product |
| https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-q4jv-r9gj-6cwv | Exploit Patch Vendor Advisory |
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/14/3 | Mailing List Third Party Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-45130 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-2026-45130
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-2026-45130 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-45130 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]
May. 18, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:vim:vim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 9.2.0450 Added Reference Type CVE: http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/14/3 Types: Mailing List, Third Party Advisory Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/92993329178cb1f72d700fff45ca86e1c2d369f8 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/vim/vim/releases/tag/v9.2.0450 Types: Product Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-q4jv-r9gj-6cwv Types: Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
May. 14, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/14/3 -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
May. 08, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.2.0450, a heap buffer overflow exists in read_compound() in src/spellfile.c when loading a crafted spell file (.spl) with UTF-8 encoding active. An attacker-controlled length field in the spell file's compound section overflows a 32-bit signed integer multiplication, causing a small buffer to be allocated for a write loop that runs many iterations, overflowing the heap. Because the 'spelllang' option can be set from a modeline, a text file modeline can trigger spell file loading if a malicious .spl file has been planted on the runtimepath. This issue has been patched in version 9.2.0450. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H Added CWE CWE-190 Added CWE CWE-122 Added Reference https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/92993329178cb1f72d700fff45ca86e1c2d369f8 Added Reference https://github.com/vim/vim/releases/tag/v9.2.0450 Added Reference https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-q4jv-r9gj-6cwv