Command Injection in Kitty Terminal

Publication date: 2026-08-10

Last updated on: 2026-08-10

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. Prior to 0.48.2, the @kitty-echo and @kitty-ssh DCS handlers in kitty/window.py write unauthenticated data to the child shell's stdin, where handle_remote_echo accepts printable shell command characters and handle_remote_ssh calls get_ssh_data in kittens/ssh/utils.py, which emits a newline; chaining the handlers can execute attacker-controlled commands when a user displays untrusted terminal data. This issue is fixed in version 0.48.2.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-10

Last Modified

2026-08-10

Generated

2026-08-11

AI Q&A

2026-08-11

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-72913

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
kovidg	kitty	to 0.48.2 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-150	The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as escape, meta, or control character sequences when they are sent to a downstream component.
CWE-77	The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.
CWE-93	The product uses CRLF (carriage return line feeds) as a special element, e.g. to separate lines or records, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes CRLF sequences from inputs.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

Kitty is a GPU-based terminal that had a vulnerability in versions before 0.48.2. The issue involves unauthenticated data being written to the shell's stdin through specific DCS handlers. Attackers could chain these handlers to execute commands when a user displays untrusted terminal data.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability allows attackers to run arbitrary commands on your system by tricking you into displaying malicious terminal data. This could lead to unauthorized access, data theft, or system compromise, depending on the attacker's goals.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Kitty to version 0.48.2 or later to address the vulnerability. Avoid displaying untrusted terminal data until patched.

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