CVE-2022-2345Public exploit

Editor crash via recursive substitution use-after-free

Published Jul 8, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Use-after-free in recursive substitution in Vim before 9.0.0046 allows attackers to crash the editor via crafted input. The regtilde function retained an allocation in reg_prev_sub that a recursive substitution could free, leaving the outer call with an invalid returned string. Triggering the flaw requires Vim to process a crafted recursive substitution expression, and the grounded operational consequence is an editor crash.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability1.24%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in recursive substitution in Vim before 9.0.0046 allows attackers to crash the editor via crafted input. The regtilde function retained an allocation in reg_prev_sub that a recursive substitution could free, leaving the outer call with an invalid returned string. Triggering the flaw requires Vim to process a crafted recursive substitution expression, and the grounded operational consequence is an editor crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-2345
Published
Jul 8, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Vim
Product
Vim
Classifications
CWE-416, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 8, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <9.0.0046

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Vim · Vimversion=unspecified <9.0.0046

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8huntr.devCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.8NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
T1204.002Malicious File

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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