CVE-2026-28419
Received Received - Intake
Heap-Based Buffer Underflow in Vim Tags File Parsing

Publication date: 2026-02-27

Last updated on: 2026-03-04

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.2.0075, a heap-based buffer underflow exists in Vim's Emacs-style tags file parsing logic. When processing a malformed tags file where a delimiter appears at the start of a line, Vim attempts to read memory immediately preceding the allocated buffer. Version 9.2.0075 fixes the issue.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-02-27
Last Modified
2026-03-04
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-02-28
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-14
NVD
CVE-2026-28419
EUVD
EUVD-2026-9087
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
vim vim to 9.2.0075 (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-124 The product writes to a buffer using an index or pointer that references a memory location prior to the beginning of the buffer.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Vim text editor prior to version 9.2.0075. It is a heap-based buffer underflow that occurs in Vim's Emacs-style tags file parsing logic. Specifically, when Vim processes a malformed tags file where a delimiter appears at the start of a line, it attempts to read memory immediately before the allocated buffer, which can lead to unexpected behavior or crashes.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to memory corruption due to reading memory before the allocated buffer. This can cause Vim to crash or behave unpredictably. Additionally, it may allow an attacker to leak sensitive information or potentially execute arbitrary code, depending on the context in which Vim is used and the privileges of the user running it.

Compliance Impact

I don't know

Detection Guidance

I don't know

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, you should update Vim to version 9.2.0075 or later, as this version contains the fix for the heap-based buffer underflow issue in the Emacs-style tags file parsing logic.

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