Vim: Security Vulnerabilities
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. A segmentation fault was found in Vim before 9.1.1043. In silent Ex mode (-s -e), Vim typically doesn't show a screen and just operates silently in batch mode. However, it is still possible to trigger the function that handles the scrolling of a gui version of Vim by feeding some binary characters to Vim. The function that handles the scrolling however may be triggering a redraw, which will access the ScreenLines pointer, even so this variable hasn't been allocated (since there is no screen). This vulnerability is fixed in 9.1.1043.
CVSS Score
4.2
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2025-01-20
When switching to other buffers using the :all command and visual mode still being active, this may cause a heap-buffer overflow, because Vim does not properly end visual mode and therefore may try to access beyond the end of a line in a buffer. In Patch 9.1.1003 Vim will correctly reset the visual mode before opening other windows and buffers and therefore fix this bug. In addition it does verify that it won't try to access a position if the position is greater than the corresponding buffer line. Impact is medium since the user must have switched on visual mode when executing the :all ex command. The Vim project would like to thank github user gandalf4a for reporting this issue. The issue has been fixed as of Vim patch v9.1.1003
CVSS Score
4.2
EPSS Score
0.0
Published
2025-01-13
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. A use-after-free was found in Vim < 9.1.0764. When closing a buffer (visible in a window) a BufWinLeave auto command can cause an use-after-free if this auto command happens to re-open the same buffer in a new split window. Impact is low since the user must have intentionally set up such a strange auto command and run some buffer unload commands. However this may lead to a crash. This issue has been addressed in version 9.1.0764 and all users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
CVSS Score
3.9
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-10-07
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Patch v9.1.0038 optimized how the cursor position is calculated and removed a loop, that verified that the cursor position always points inside a line and does not become invalid by pointing beyond the end of
a line. Back then we assumed this loop is unnecessary. However, this change made it possible that the cursor position stays invalid and points beyond the end of a line, which would eventually cause a heap-buffer-overflow when trying to access the line pointer at
the specified cursor position. It's not quite clear yet, what can lead to this situation that the cursor points to an invalid position. That's why patch v9.1.0707 does not include a test case. The only observed impact has been a program crash. This issue has been addressed in with the patch v9.1.0707. All users are advised to upgrade.
CVSS Score
4.5
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-09-02
Vim is an open source command line text editor. When performing a search and displaying the search-count message is disabled (:set shm+=S), the search pattern is displayed at the bottom of the screen in a buffer (msgbuf). When right-left mode (:set rl) is enabled, the search pattern is reversed. This happens by allocating a new buffer. If the search pattern contains some ASCII NUL characters, the buffer allocated will be smaller than the original allocated buffer (because for allocating the reversed buffer, the strlen() function is called, which only counts until it notices an ASCII NUL byte ) and thus the original length indicator is wrong. This causes an overflow when accessing characters inside the msgbuf by the previously (now wrong) length of the msgbuf. The issue has been fixed as of Vim patch v9.1.0689.
CVSS Score
4.5
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-08-22
The UNIX editor Vim prior to version 9.1.0678 has a use-after-free error in argument list handling. When adding a new file to the argument list, this triggers `Buf*` autocommands. If in such an autocommand the buffer that was just opened is closed (including the window where it is shown), this causes the window structure to be freed which contains a reference to the argument list that we are actually modifying. Once the autocommands are completed, the references to the window and argument list are no longer valid and as such cause an use-after-free. Impact is low since the user must either intentionally add some unusual autocommands that wipe a buffer during creation (either manually or by sourcing a malicious plugin), but it will crash Vim. The issue has been fixed as of Vim patch v9.1.0678.
CVSS Score
4.5
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-08-16
Vim is an open source command line text editor. Vim < v9.1.0647 has double free in src/alloc.c:616. When closing a window, the corresponding tagstack data will be cleared and freed. However a bit later, the quickfix list belonging to that window will also be cleared and if that quickfix list points to the same tagstack data, Vim will try to free it again, resulting in a double-free/use-after-free access exception. Impact is low since the user must intentionally execute vim with several non-default flags,
but it may cause a crash of Vim. The issue has been fixed as of Vim patch v9.1.0647
CVSS Score
4.5
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-08-01
Vim is an open source command line text editor. double-free in dialog_changed() in Vim < v9.1.0648. When abandoning a buffer, Vim may ask the user what to do with the modified buffer. If the user wants the changed buffer to be saved, Vim may create a new Untitled file, if the buffer did not have a name yet. However, when setting the buffer name to Unnamed, Vim will falsely free a pointer twice, leading to a double-free and possibly later to a heap-use-after-free, which can lead to a crash. The issue has been fixed as of Vim patch v9.1.0648.
CVSS Score
4.2
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-08-01
Vim before 9.0.2142 has a stack-based buffer overflow because did_set_langmap in map.c calls sprintf to write to the error buffer that is passed down to the option callback functions.
CVSS Score
7.8
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2024-02-05
Vim is a UNIX editor that, prior to version 9.0.2121, has a heap-use-after-free vulnerability. When executing a `:s` command for the very first time and using a sub-replace-special atom inside the substitution part, it is possible that the recursive `:s` call causes free-ing of memory which may later then be accessed by the initial `:s` command. The user must intentionally execute the payload and the whole process is a bit tricky to do since it seems to work only reliably for the very first :s command. It may also cause a crash of Vim. Version 9.0.2121 contains a fix for this issue.
CVSS Score
3.6
EPSS Score
0.001
Published
2023-11-22