# CVE-2019-12735: Command injection in n/a

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary OS commands in Vim or Neovim via malicious modelines in source files.

- **Severity:** High 8.6 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 5 Jun 2019
- **Updated:** 11 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2019-12735, DEBIAN-CVE-2019-12735, DSA-4467-1, DSA-4487-1, GHSA-5x93-92vm-jw5m, MGASA-2020-0082, RHSA-2019:1619, RHSA-2019:1774, RHSA-2019:1793, RHSA-2019:1947, SUSE-SU-2019:14078-1, SUSE-SU-2019:1456-1, SUSE-SU-2019:1457-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2019-12735, USN-4862-1, openSUSE-SU-2019:1551-1, openSUSE-SU-2019:1561-1, openSUSE-SU-2019:1759-1, openSUSE-SU-2019:1796-1, openSUSE-SU-2019:1997-1

## What is CVE-2019-12735?

CVE-2019-12735 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Vim Vim, published on 5 Jun 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

getchar.c in Vim before 8.1.1365 and Neovim before 0.3.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via the :source! command in a modeline, as demonstrated by execute in Vim, and assert_fails or nvim_input in Neovim.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-12735?

It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `vim` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-X11` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-common` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-enhanced` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-filesystem` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-minimal` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-X11` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-common` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-enhanced` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-filesystem` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-minimal` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-X11` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-common` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-enhanced` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-filesystem` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-minimal` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-X11` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-common` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-enhanced` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-filesystem` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim-minimal` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 2:7.4.629-5.el6_10.2 |
| `vim` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-X11` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-common` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-enhanced` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-filesystem` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-minimal` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-X11` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-common` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |
| `vim-enhanced` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode | All versions | 2:7.4.160-6.el7_6 |

Products: Neovim Neovim, Vim Vim.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-12735?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2019-12735 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-12735 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Vim/Neovim Arbitrary Code Execution via Modelines (CVE-2019-12735) (github_poc): https://github.com/pcy190/ace-vim-neovim
- https://github.com/oldthree3/CVE-2019-12735-VIM-NEOVIM (github_poc): https://github.com/oldthree3/CVE-2019-12735-VIM-NEOVIM
- Docker image that lets me study the exploitation of the VIM exploit (github_poc): https://github.com/nickylimjj/cve-2019-12735
- Vim < 8.1.1365 / Neovim < 0.3.6 - Arbitrary Code Execution (exploitdb)
- https://github.com/datntsec/CVE-2019-12735 (github_poc): https://github.com/datntsec/CVE-2019-12735
- A demo for cve-2019-12735 (github_poc): https://github.com/st9007a/CVE-2019-12735

## Other vulnerabilities in Vim Vim

- [CVE-2022-3591](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-3591/): Use After Free in vim/vim (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2026-45130](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45130/): Vim: Heap Buffer Overflow in spell file loading (medium 6.6)
- [CVE-2026-25749](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-25749/): Heap Overflow in Vim (medium 6.6)
- [CVE-2024-43374](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-43374/): Vim heap-use-after-free in src/arglist.c:207 (medium 4.5)
- [CVE-2025-22134](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22134/): heap-buffer-overflow with visual mode in Vim < 9.1.1003 (medium 4.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-12735 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-12735 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Vim Vim, published on 5 Jun 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-12735 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Vim Vim. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12735/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12735/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-12735
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12735
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-12735

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12735/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.