# CVE-2023-5535: Use After Free in vim/vim

> A use-after-free flaw in Vim allows attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via crafted input.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/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:** 11 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 13 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2023-5535, AZL-31499, BELL-CVE-2023-5535, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-5535, ECHO-61be-0cf4-6a99, GHSA-9h8h-jwrx-hxgg, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-5535

## What is CVE-2023-5535?

CVE-2023-5535 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 11 Oct 2023. 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

Use After Free in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to v9.0.2010.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-5535?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Fedoraproject Fedora, Neovim Neovim, Vim Vim.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-5535?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2023-5535 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-5535 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Fedoraproject Fedora

- [CVE-2024-4577](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4577/): PHP-CGI OS Command Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-39226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39226/): Grafana Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-5544](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5544/): VMware ESXi and Horizon DaaS OpenSLP Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4947](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4947/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4671](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4671/): Google Chromium Visuals Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-5535 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-5535 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 11 Oct 2023. 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: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-5535 exists.

Affected product: Fedoraproject Fedora. 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-2023-5535/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5535/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5535
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5535
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-5535

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5535/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.