Code execution via substitute-expression window switch
Published May 19, 2022 · Updated Nov 3, 2025
Out-of-bounds write in Vim before 8.2.4977 allows local users to crash the editor or execute code through a crafted substitute expression. In ex_substitute, vim_regsub_multi evaluates the replacement twice; an expression can switch windows between length calculation and use, leaving buffer state inconsistent and enabling an out-of-bounds write. Exploitation requires local execution of the crafted substitution expression, and consequences are confined to the Vim process and the invoking user’s privileges.
Summary
What happened
Out-of-bounds write in Vim before 8.2.4977 allows local users to crash the editor or execute code through a crafted substitute expression. In ex_substitute, vim_regsub_multi evaluates the replacement twice; an expression can switch windows between length calculation and use, leaving buffer state inconsistent and enabling an out-of-bounds write. Exploitation requires local execution of the crafted substitution expression, and consequences are confined to the Vim process and the invoking user’s privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-1785
- Published
- May 19, 2022
- Updated
- Nov 3, 2025
- Vendor
- Vim
- Product
- Vim
- Classifications
- CWE-787, T1203
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 19, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=unspecified <8.2.4977
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
- Upstream substitute-window regression triggerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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