Code execution via filename injection in netrw
Published Aug 19, 2026 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Code injection in Vim netrw before 9.2.0480 allows attackers to execute arbitrary Vimscript via a crafted filename in a browsed directory. In s:NetrwMarkFile(), unmarking an entry concatenates the derived path into a quoted filter() expression, so a double quote in the filename ends the literal early and injects Vimscript that filter() evaluates. Exploitation requires a local attacker to plant the filename on a Unix-like filesystem and a victim to browse that directory with netrw and press mf twice on the same entry, after which injected Vimscript can invoke shell commands as the Vim user.
Summary
What happened
Code injection in Vim netrw before 9.2.0480 allows attackers to execute arbitrary Vimscript via a crafted filename in a browsed directory. In s:NetrwMarkFile(), unmarking an entry concatenates the derived path into a quoted filter() expression, so a double quote in the filename ends the literal early and injects Vimscript that filter() evaluates. Exploitation requires a local attacker to plant the filename on a Unix-like filesystem and a victim to browse that directory with netrw and press mf twice on the same entry, after which injected Vimscript can invoke shell commands as the Vim user.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-43961
- Published
- Aug 19, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Vim
- Product
- Vim
- Classifications
- CWE-94, CWE-74, T1059
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 19, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 2026Record 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=0 <9.2.0480
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Bugzilla reproducer for CVE-2026-43961proof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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