CVE-2026-45130 Vim: Heap Buffer Overflow in spell file loading
An attacker can achieve code execution by tricking a user into opening a text file with a modeline that loads a malicious spell 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-2026-45130?
CVE-2026-45130 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Vim Vim, published on 8 May 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 9.2.0450, a heap buffer overflow exists in read_compound() in src/spellfile.c when loading a crafted spell file (.spl) with UTF-8 encoding active. An attacker-controlled length field in the spell file's compound section overflows a 32-bit signed integer multiplication, causing a small buffer to be allocated for a write loop that runs many iterations, overflowing the heap. Because the 'spelllang' option can be set from a modeline, a text file modeline can trigger spell file loading if a malicious .spl file has been planted on the runtimepath. This issue has been patched in version 9.2.0450.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-45130?
It affects 2 products.
Products include Neovim Neovim, Vim Vim.
How do I fix CVE-2026-45130?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Is CVE-2026-45130 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-45130 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Vim Vim
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2026-45130, AZL-86246, BELL-CVE-2026-45130, CLSA-2026-1779495062, CLSA-2026-1779496075, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-45130 and 3 more.