Local application crash via null session pointer
Published Sep 22, 2026 · Updated Sep 22, 2026
Null pointer dereference in Notepad++ before 8.9.8 allows local users to crash the editor through a crafted NPPM_SAVESESSION message. The handler casts lParam to sessionInfo and dereferences nbFile, files, and sessionFilePathName without first rejecting a null pointer. A process at the same or higher Windows integrity level on the same desktop can terminate the application, causing loss of unsaved documents.
Summary
What happened
Null pointer dereference in Notepad++ before 8.9.8 allows local users to crash the editor through a crafted NPPM_SAVESESSION message. The handler casts lParam to sessionInfo and dereferences nbFile, files, and sessionFilePathName without first rejecting a null pointer. A process at the same or higher Windows integrity level on the same desktop can terminate the application, causing loss of unsaved documents.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-86056
- Published
- Sep 22, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 22, 2026
- Vendor
- Notepad++
- Product
- Notepad++
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 22, 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=< 8.9.8
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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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