vim up to 9.2.0449 Spell File src/spellfile.c read_compound length heap-based overflow

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in vim up to 9.2.0449. This affects the function read_compound of the file src/spellfile.c of the component Spell File Handler. Executing a manipulation of the argument length can lead to heap-based overflow. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-45130. The attack can be launched remotely. No exploit exists. You should upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in vim up to 9.2.0449. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability affects the function read_compound of the file src/spellfile.c of the component Spell File Handler. The manipulation of the argument length with an unknown input leads to a heap-based overflow vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-122. A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc(). As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.2.0450, a heap buffer overflow exists in read_compound() in src/spellfile.c when loading a crafted spell file (.spl) with UTF-8 encoding active. An attacker-controlled length field in the spell file's compound section overflows a 32-bit signed integer multiplication, causing a small buffer to be allocated for a write loop that runs many iterations, overflowing the heap. Because the 'spelllang' option can be set from a modeline, a text file modeline can trigger spell file loading if a malicious .spl file has been planted on the runtimepath. This issue has been patched in version 9.2.0450.

The advisory is shared for download at github.com. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-45130 since 05/08/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is required for a successful exploitation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction by the victim. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 313607 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2026-45130), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 9.2.0450 eliminates this vulnerability. The upgrade is hosted for download at github.com. Applying the patch 92993329178cb1f72d700fff45ca86e1c2d369f8 is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at github.com. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (313607) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2026-1442). VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

Affected

• Open Source vim

Productinfo

Type

• Word Processing Software

Name

• vim

Version

• 9.2.0449

License

• open-source

Website

• Product: https://github.com/vim/vim/

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VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

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