CVE-2026-73078
Description
A flaw in Vim's netrw plugin fails to sanitize special characters in directory paths when creating GUI menu entries. Browsing or bookmarking a maliciously crafted path in GUI Vim allows attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands as the running user.
Statement
This Important vulnerability in Vim's netrw plugin allows for arbitrary command execution in GUI Vim. By crafting a malicious directory path, an attacker could exploit improper neutralization of special characters when the path is browsed or bookmarked, leading to command injection. This issue specifically impacts GUI installations and requires user interaction.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, avoid browsing or bookmarking untrusted or maliciously crafted directory paths within GUI Vim. Users should exercise caution when interacting with `netrw` menu entries derived from external or untrusted sources.
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 | 8.8 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
If a malicious user injects a character (such as a semi-colon) that delimits the end of one command and the beginning of another, it may be possible to then insert an entirely new and unrelated command that was not intended to be executed. This gives an attacker a privilege or capability that they would not otherwise have.
Frequently Asked Questions
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