CVE-2026-57455
Description
A memory corruption flaw in Vim allows an attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS). When a SOFO-based spell language is active, providing an excessively long word to the spell checker triggers a stack out-of-bounds write in the spell_soundfold_sofo() function, causing the editor to crash.
Statement
This Moderate impact flaw in Vim, a command-line text editor, is due to a stack out-of-bounds write in the spell checker. Exploitation requires a user to open a specially crafted file or encounter a long word via spell suggestion while a SOFO-based spell language is active, leading to a Denial of Service. This is not a default configuration in most Red Hat environments, limiting the attack surface.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue disable spell checking or avoid using SOFO-based spell files. This can be achieved globally by adding set nospell to your ~/.vimrc configuration file. Ensure your systems utilize standard UTF-8 encoding. This flaw is strictly confined to legacy 8-bit encodings and cannot be triggered under default Red Hat configurations.
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).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 4.7 | 7.8 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | None | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | Required | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Write operations could cause memory corruption. In some cases, an adversary can modify control data such as return addresses in order to execute unexpected code.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Attempting to access out-of-range, invalid, or unauthorized memory could cause the product to crash.
Other
Technical Impact: Unexpected State
Subsequent write operations can produce undefined or unexpected results.
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