# CVE-2026-42851: @kitty-edit DCS + --color=geninclude vulnerable to Unauthenticated in-process RCE

> An attacker can execute arbitrary Python code in the Kitty terminal process by sending crafted escape sequences, requiring no user interaction.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/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:** 12 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-42851, GHSA-w98g-hpvr-r332, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-42851

## What is CVE-2026-42851?

CVE-2026-42851 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in kovidgoyal kitty, published on 12 Jun 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

Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.0, a program able to write bytes to a kitty terminal — a remote SSH peer, a downloaded file viewed with `cat`, a log line, an email body rendered in `less`, an issue body in a TUI, etc. — can cause kitty to execute attacker-supplied Python inside the running kitty process, with the user's full privileges. There is no approval prompt, no remote-control permission requirement, no shell-integration interaction, no clipboard touch, and no editor interaction. Version 0.47.0 fixes the issue.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code), CWE-862 (Missing Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-42851?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Kovidgoyal Kitty.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-42851?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-42851 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-42851 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in kovidgoyal kitty

- [CVE-2026-33642](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33642/): Kitty has a Heap Buffer Over-Read/Write via Integer Overflow in compose_rectangles Bounds Check (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2026-54056](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-54056/): Kitty has an arbitrary file overwrite via symlink following in `kitten dnd` remote drop staging (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2026-33633](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33633/): Kitty has a Heap Buffer Overflow in its Graphics Protocol Handler (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2026-42850](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42850/): Kitty has a shell command injection (high 7.4)
- [CVE-2026-54057](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-54057/): Kitty vulnerable to command injection via unsanitized OSC 21 query reply (high 7.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-42851 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-42851 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in kovidgoyal kitty, published on 12 Jun 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.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-42851 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: kovidgoyal kitty. 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-2026-42851/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42851/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42851
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42851
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-42851

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-42851/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.