CVE-2026-73070
Received Received - Intake

Heap Overflow in Vim Text Editor

Publication date: 2026-08-11

Last updated on: 2026-08-11

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to 9.2.0842, the socket server backend in src/socketserver.c accepts unbounded client connections in socketserver_accept(), causing descriptors to overflow fd_set structures in src/channel.c and fixed-size struct pollfd arrays in src/os_unix.c, which allows a local process that can connect to the server socket to corrupt stack memory or terminate the Vim server. This issue is fixed in version 9.2.0842.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-11
Last Modified
2026-08-11
Generated
2026-08-11
AI Q&A
2026-08-11
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-73070
EUVD
EUVD-2026-56222

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
vim vim 9.2.0842

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
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).

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-73070 is a stack buffer overflow in Vim's socket server affecting versions before 9.2.0842. The vulnerability occurs when the server accepts too many client connections, causing file descriptors to exceed limits of select() or poll() system calls. This leads to potential overflows in fd_set structures or pollfd arrays, resulting in memory corruption or server crashes.

Detection Guidance

Check Vim version with 'vim --version' to see if it is below 9.2.0842. Monitor Vim server processes for crashes or memory corruption when multiple clients connect. Look for unusual activity in logs related to Vim server instances.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow a local attacker to crash the Vim server, causing loss of unsaved work. On systems with _FORTIFY_SOURCE enabled, the server terminates immediately. Without it, memory corruption may occur, though exploitation requires specific conditions like local access and high file descriptor limits.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Vim to version 9.2.0842 or later. Disable the Vim server feature if not needed by avoiding the --servername option. Restrict local processes from connecting to Vim server sockets.

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