CVE-2026-28420 Vim has Heap-based Buffer Overflow and OOB Read in :terminal
Heap-based buffer overflow and out-of-bounds read in Vim's terminal emulator allow attackers to execute code or crash the application.
- 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
What is CVE-2026-28420?
CVE-2026-28420 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Vim Vim, published on 27 Feb 2026. 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 an open source, command line text editor. Prior to version 9.2.0076, a heap-based buffer overflow WRITE and an out-of-bounds READ exist in Vim's terminal emulator when processing maximum combining characters from Unicode supplementary planes. Version 9.2.0076 fixes the issue.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-28420?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Vim Vim.
How do I fix CVE-2026-28420?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2026-28420 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-28420 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Vim Vim
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2026-28420, AZL-78503, BELL-CVE-2026-28420, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-28420, ECHO-e482-e357-798e, GHSA-rvj2-jrf9-2phg.