CVE-2026-45130

Vim: Heap Buffer Overflow in spell file loading

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: May 8, 2026 at 10:42 PM UTC
Updated: July 24, 2026 at 08:10 PM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsVimNeovim

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Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

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.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v ≤ 0.12.2
v < 9.2.0450
Affected range stops below 9.2.0450, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

References (4)

x_refsource_CONFIRMExploitPatchVendor Advisory
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/vim/vim/security/advisories/GHSA-q4jv-r9gj-6cwv
x_refsource_MISCProduct
Source: cverecord
https://github.com/vim/vim/releases/tag/v9.2.0450
Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
Source: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/14/3

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
REQUIRED
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-122CWE-190

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