CVE-2026-43961 Code injection in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Attackers can execute arbitrary code by crafting filenames that exploit Vim's netrw plugin, requiring user interaction to open the file.
- 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-2026-43961?
CVE-2026-43961 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 19 Aug 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
A flaw was found in Vim's netrw plugin. A crafted filename containing quote characters and expression fragments can break out of the quoted context during mark/unmark operations, allowing arbitrary Vimscript execution. This can be leveraged to run shell commands with the privileges of the user running Vim.
Weakness: CWE-94
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-43961?
How do I fix CVE-2026-43961?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2026-43961 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-43961 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2026-43961, BELL-CVE-2026-43961, CLSA-2026-1781258957, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-43961, ECHO-1a5a-3ad1-ce32, GHSA-66hr-7p6x-x5j3 and 5 more.