CVE-2022-1720: Buffer Over-read in function grab_file_name in vim/vim

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2022-06-20 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-126

Description

Buffer Over-read in function grab_file_name in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 8.2.4956. This vulnerability is capable of crashing the software, memory modification, and possible remote execution.

Affected products

Apple macOS: before 11.7; from 12.0 before 12.6 — fixed in 11.7, 12.6
Debian Linux: 9.0, 10.0
Fedoraproject Fedora: 35, 36
vim/vim: before 8.2.4956 — fixed in 8.2.4956

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apple macOS 11.7, 12.6; vim/vim 8.2.4956. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/28
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/41
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/43
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Oct/45
https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/395bd1f6d3edc9f7edb5d1f2d7deaf5a9e3ab93c
https://huntr.dev/bounties/5ccfb386-7eb9-46e5-98e5-243ea4b358a8
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/06/msg00014.html
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/11/msg00009.html
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/GFD2A4YLBR7OIRHTL7CK6YNMEIQ264CN/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U743FMJGFQ35GBPCQ6OWMVZEJPDFVEWM/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-32
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202305-16

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