CVE-2026-28418
Received Received - Intake
Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in Vim Tags File Parsing

Publication date: 2026-02-27

Last updated on: 2026-03-03

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.2.0074, a heap-based buffer overflow out-of-bounds read exists in Vim's Emacs-style tags file parsing logic. When processing a malformed tags file, Vim can be tricked into reading up to 7 bytes beyond the allocated memory boundary. Version 9.2.0074 fixes the issue.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-02-27
Last Modified
2026-03-03
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-02-28
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-14
NVD
CVE-2026-28418
EUVD
EUVD-2026-9086
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
vim vim to 9.2.0074 (exc)
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-125 The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
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().
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a heap-based buffer overflow out-of-bounds read in the Vim text editor, specifically in its Emacs-style tags file parsing logic. When Vim processes a malformed tags file, it can be tricked into reading up to 7 bytes beyond the allocated memory boundary. This issue exists in versions prior to 9.2.0074 and was fixed in version 9.2.0074.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized reading of memory beyond the intended buffer, which may expose sensitive information or cause unexpected behavior in Vim. The CVSS score of 4.4 indicates a low to medium severity impact, with potential confidentiality and integrity impacts but no impact on availability.

Compliance Impact

I don't know

Detection Guidance

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Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, upgrade Vim to version 9.2.0074 or later, as this version contains the fix for the heap-based buffer overflow in the Emacs-style tags file parsing logic.

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