CVE-2022-2581

Editor crash via illegal UTF-8 regexp byte

Published Aug 1, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Out-of-bounds read in Vim before 9.0.0104 allows local users to crash the editor with a pattern that starts with an illegal byte. The cstrchr function in src/regexp.c passes that byte through utf_ptr2char and incorrectly treats it as matching a folded character, causing illegal memory access in regexp processing. Exploitation requires user interaction to process the crafted pattern; the documented consequence is a Vim process crash, not a system-wide interruption.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.50%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds read in Vim before 9.0.0104 allows local users to crash the editor with a pattern that starts with an illegal byte. The cstrchr function in src/regexp.c passes that byte through utf_ptr2char and incorrectly treats it as matching a folded character, causing illegal memory access in regexp processing. Exploitation requires user interaction to process the crafted pattern; the documented consequence is a Vim process crash, not a system-wide interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-2581
Published
Aug 1, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Vim
Product
Vim
Classifications
CWE-125
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 1, 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 <9.0.0104

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Vim · Vimversion=unspecified <9.0.0104

Published CVSS scores

7.8huntr.dev CNACVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-125Out-of-bounds Read

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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