Medium severity · published Feb 18, 2025
CVE-2025-26603
heap-use-after-free in function str_to_reg in vim/vim
4.2
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Vim is a greatly improved version of the good old UNIX editor Vi. Vim allows to redirect screen messages using the `:redir` ex command to register, variables and files. It also allows to show the contents of registers using the `:registers` or `:display` ex command. When redirecting the output of `:display` to a register, Vim will free the register content before storing the new content in the register. Now when redirecting the `:display` command to a register that is being displayed, Vim will free the content while shortly afterwards trying to access it, which leads to a use-after-free. Vim pre 9.1.1115 checks in the ex_display() function, that it does not try to redirect to a register while displaying this register at the same time. However this check is not complete, and so Vim does not check the `+` and `*` registers (which typically donate the X11/clipboard registers, and when a clipboard connection is not possible will fall back to use register 0 instead. In Patch 9.1.1115 Vim will therefore skip outputting to register zero when trying to redirect to the clipboard registers `*` or `+`. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 15% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
VI
vim · vim
< 9.1.1115 · source: vendor, NVD
HC
Hci Compute Node · Netapp
All versions, or not specified · source: NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-26603
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-26603
Patch
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/c0f0e2380e5954f4a52a131bf6b8
Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-63p5-mwg2-787v
Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250306-0003/
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