VDB-356803 · CVE-2026-5525 · GCVE-0-2026-5525

Notepad++ up to 8.9.3 File Drop stack-based overflow

CVSS Meta Temp Score CVSS is a standardized scoring system to determine possibilities of attacks. The Temp Score considers temporal factors like disclosure, exploit and countermeasures. The unique Meta Score calculates the average score of different sources to provide a normalized scoring system.	Current Exploit Price (≈) Our analysts are monitoring exploit markets and are in contact with vulnerability brokers. The range indicates the observed or calculated exploit price to be seen on exploit markets. A good indicator to understand the monetary effort required for and the popularity of an attack.	CTI Interest Score Our Cyber Threat Intelligence team is monitoring different web sites, mailing lists, exploit markets and social media networks. The CTI Interest Score identifies the interest of attackers and the security community for this specific vulnerability in real-time. A high score indicates an elevated risk to be targeted for this vulnerability.
5.1	$0-$5k	2.18-

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical has been found in Notepad++ up to 8.9.3. The impacted element is an unknown function of the component File Drop Handler. This manipulation causes stack-based overflow. This vulnerability appears as CVE-2026-5525. The attack requires local access. There is no available exploit. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Notepad++ up to 8.9.3. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is some unknown processing of the component File Drop Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a stack-based overflow vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-121. A stack-based buffer overflow condition is a condition where the buffer being overwritten is allocated on the stack (i.e., is a local variable or, rarely, a parameter to a function). As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Notepad++ version 8.9.3 in the file drop handler component. When a user drags and drops a directory path of exactly 259 characters without a trailing backslash, the application appends a backslash and null terminator without proper bounds checking, resulting in a stack buffer overflow and application crash (STATUS_STACK_BUFFER_OVERRUN).

It is possible to read the advisory at github.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-5525 since 04/04/2026. The exploitation appears to be difficult. Attacking locally is a requirement. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available.

Upgrading to version 8.9.4 eliminates this vulnerability.

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

Document Reader Software

Name

Notepad++

Version

CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.2
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 5.1

VulDB Base Score: 4.5
VulDB Temp Score: 4.3
VulDB Vector: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CNA Base Score: 6.0
CNA Vector (securin): 🔒

CVSSv2info

AV	AC	Au	C	I	A
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💳	💳	💳	💳	💳	💳
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Vector	Complexity	Authentication	Confidentiality	Integrity	Availability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔒
VulDB Temp Score: 🔒
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Stack-based overflow
CWE: CWE-121 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔒
ATT&CK: 🔒

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially

Availability: 🔒
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔒
EPSS Percentile: 🔒

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔒

0-Day	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock
Today	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock	Unlock

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔒

Upgrade: Notepad++ 8.9.4

Timelineinfo

04/04/2026 CVE reserved
04/10/2026 +6 days Advisory disclosed
04/10/2026 +0 days VulDB entry created
04/10/2026 +0 days VulDB entry last update

Sourcesinfo

Advisory: github.com
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2026-5525 (🔒)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2026-5525
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-356803

Entryinfo

Created: 04/10/2026 10:20
Changes: 04/10/2026 10:20 (64)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216:F8C:103