Executive brief
Vim is a widely used open-source text editor. A security vulnerability in its built-in file explorer (netrw) allows for the execution of unauthorized commands if a user attempts to delete a specially crafted file. An attacker who can place a file with a malicious name on a system could potentially take control of a user's account or access sensitive data if the user interacts with that file through Vim's file browser.
Technical details
A Vimscript code injection vulnerability exists in the s:NetrwLocalRmFile() function within the netrw plugin (runtime/pack/dist/opt/netrw/autoload/netrw.vim). The root cause is insufficient sanitization of filenames before they are passed to the :execute command; specifically, only backslashes are escaped, while the pipe character (|) is not. An attacker can craft a filename containing a pipe character to terminate the intended 'bwipeout' command and execute arbitrary Vimscript or shell commands (via :! or system()). Exploitation requires the victim to browse a directory containing the malicious file using netrw and manually trigger the delete action (D mapping) on that specific file. The issue is resolved in Vim version 9.2.0663 by using fnameescape() for proper filename neutralization.
Affected products
- Vim Vim < 9.2.0663
Timeline
- 2026-06-16: patched: Vim patch v9.2.0663 released
- 2026-06-16: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-vhh8-v6wx-hjjh published
- 2026-06-25: disclosed: NVD publication date