CVE-2024-43790Public exploit

Crash via stale reversed-search buffer length

Published Aug 22, 2024 · Updated Sep 20, 2024

Heap-buffer overflow in Vim 9.1.0426 through 9.1.0688 allows local users to crash the editor with a crafted search pattern. In do_search(), reverse_text() reallocates msgbuf using strlen(), which stops at an embedded NUL, but the stale pre-reversal length still controls a later memmove read. Triggering the crash requires user interaction, disabled search-count messages, right-to-left mode, and a search pattern containing an ASCII NUL byte.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.31%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Heap-buffer overflow in Vim 9.1.0426 through 9.1.0688 allows local users to crash the editor with a crafted search pattern. In do_search(), reverse_text() reallocates msgbuf using strlen(), which stops at an embedded NUL, but the stale pre-reversal length still controls a later memmove read. Triggering the crash requires user interaction, disabled search-count messages, right-to-left mode, and a search pattern containing an ASCII NUL byte.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-43790
Published
Aug 22, 2024
Updated
Sep 20, 2024
Vendor
Vim
Product
Vim
Classifications
CWE-122, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 22, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 20, 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=< v9.1.0689

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Vim · Vimversion=< v9.1.0689

Published CVSS scores

4.5GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-122Heap-based Buffer Overflow
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

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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