ReviewHigh

CVE-2026-43961

vim vim, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

A flaw was found in Vim's netrw plugin. A crafted filename containing quote characters and expression fragments can break out of the quoted context during mark/unmark operations, allowing arbitrary Vimscript execution. This can be leveraged to run shell commands with the privileges of the user running Vim.

CVSS
7.8
EPSS
-
- percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2026.08.19
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability-
Technical severityCVSS 7.8

Vulnerability overview

A flaw was found in Vim's netrw plugin. A crafted filename containing quote characters and expression fragments can break out of the quoted context during mark/unmark operations, allowing arbitrary Vimscript execution. This can be leveraged to run shell commands with the privileges of the user running Vim.

Affected product and versions

Product
vim vim, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Affected versions
< 9.2.0480
Fixed versions
No verified fixed-version field is available yet

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that vim vim, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CWE
CWE-94