# CVE-2025-26603: heap-use-after-free in function str_to_reg in vim/vim

> A use-after-free vulnerability in Vim allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a crash by redirecting display output to specific clipboard registers.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 7 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2025-26603, AZL-56913, AZL-56962, BELL-CVE-2025-26603, CLSA-2025-1756928197, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-26603, ECHO-6ab2-8389-6df5, GHSA-63p5-mwg2-787v, MGASA-2025-0074, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-26603

## What is CVE-2025-26603?

CVE-2025-26603 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Netapp Hci Compute Node, published on 18 Feb 2025. 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

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.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-26603?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Netapp Hci Compute Node, Vim Vim.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-26603?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2025-26603 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-26603 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Netapp Hci Compute Node

- [CVE-2025-0509](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-0509/): Signing Checks Bypass (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2025-27423](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-27423/): Improper Input Validation in Vim (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2024-3447](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-3447/): Qemu: sdhci: heap buffer overflow in sdhci_write_dataport() (medium 6.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-26603 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-26603 is a medium-severity use after free vulnerability in Netapp Hci Compute Node, published on 18 Feb 2025. 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-2025-26603 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Netapp Hci Compute Node. 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-2025-26603/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-26603/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-26603
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-26603
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-26603

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-26603/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.