CVE-2025-66476
Description
An uncontrolled search-path vulnerability in Vim for Microsoft Windows allows an attacker who can place a trojanized executable in a directory opened by the user to cause Vim to run that executable when Vim invokes external commands (for example :grep, :!, filters !, :make, or system() in Vimscript). This can result in arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running Vim. The issue only affects Vim on Windows platforms (ms-win builds) and is not triggered on Unix-like systems.
Statement
This flaw is specific to Vim on Microsoft Windows systems and arises from Windows-only search-path behavior when external commands are invoked. The vulnerable code path does not exist in Vim builds for Linux. As a result, Red Hat products are not affected by this vulnerability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.8 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Frequently Asked Questions
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