# CVE-2026-95832: Reflected unknown field names in the kitty colour control escape code allow command execution in the user's shell


- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 25 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-95832, GHSA-hvwf-v5fx-xvj6, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-95832

## What is CVE-2026-95832?

CVE-2026-95832 is a critical vulnerability in Kovid Goyal kitty, published on 25 Sep 2026. 

### Official description

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component in the colour control escape code handler in kitty from 0.47.3 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to execute an arbitrary command in the user's shell, because color_control() in kitty/window.py answers a query for an unrecognised field name by placing that field name into the reply, and write_escape_code_to_child() in kitty/screen.c then writes the reply to the pseudoterminal master, where it is not distinguishable from input typed by the user, without neutralising it for the shell that reads it. The payload is reduced to printable ASCII before the field name is echoed, which is the restriction introduced in 0.47.3 as the fix for CVE-2026-54057, and the record and field separators ; and = are consumed as delimiters, but every other printable character survives, which is sufficient to compose a shell command. A newline is available from handle_remote_ssh() in kitty/window.py, which writes the bytes yielded by get_ssh_data() in kittens/ssh/utils.py, the first of which begin with a newline, to the pseudoterminal master before any credential carried in the request is checked. The reply is framed as an OSC sequence carrying the escape code number, the field name, and the literal value ?. This results in execution of an attacker-chosen command with the privileges of the user running the terminal.

Weakness: CWE-74 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-95832?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-95832?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-95832 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-95832 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-95832 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-95832 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-95832 is a critical vulnerability in Kovid Goyal kitty, published on 25 Sep 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-95832 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Kovid Goyal 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-2026-95832/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-95832/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-95832
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-95832
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-95832

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-95832/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.