CVE-2026-80432

Missing authorization in the kitty drag and drop protocol allows a client to obtain dragged file contents without a drop

MEDIUM
6
CVSS Score
Published: September 25, 2026 at 04:22 PM UTC
Updated: September 29, 2026 at 09:32 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorKitty

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Severity
MEDIUM6
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.1%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

Missing Authorization in the drop handling path of the drag and drop protocol in kitty from 0.47.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to obtain the contents of files dragged over the window even when the user never completes the drop, because drop_enqueue_request() in kitty/dnd.c serves a drag data request without first checking the drop state of the window, so a client that issues the request while a drag is merely hovering receives the data offered for the drag. In the same file, drop_left_child(), which runs when the drag leaves the window without a drop having occurred, releases the offered MIME list but retains the pending request state, the open file descriptor and its main loop transfer timer, the directory handles, the URI list and the pending MIME name, so a client can continue to read through a retained directory handle, and an in-flight file transfer continues to stream, when no drag is in progress. The file contents are read from the filesystem by the kitty process itself using the paths the drag source offered. This results in disclosure of the contents of files the user moved over the window without ever releasing them into it.

Affected

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

0.47.0 ≤ v < 0.49.00.47.0
Affected range stops below 0.49.0, 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:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

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

CVSS

6MEDIUMSecur0
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusAWAITING ANALYSIS
CWE
CWE-862

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