{"id":"GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw","summary":"launch-editor: Editor CLI flag misinterpretation causing arbitrary command execution for some editors","details":"### Summary\n\n`launch-editor` forwarded file paths directly to editors without sanitization. If a path resembles a CLI flag, editors like Vim may interpret it as a command, potentially causing unintended file overwrites or command execution.\n\n### Impact\n\n#### Direct `launch-editor` users\n\nOnly apps that match all of the following conditions are affected:\n\n- The attacker is able to create a file system entry (e.g. a file or directory) starting with `+` or `-` in the working directory\n- The user uses or the app specifies any of the following editors:\n  - Vim (including gVim)\n  - MacVim\n  - Emacs (including Emacsclient)\n  - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages)\n- The first argument of `launchEditor` can start with `+` or `-` or the user is using WSL\n\n#### `launch-editor-middleware` users\n\nOnly apps that match the following conditions are affected:\n\n- The attacker is able to create a file system entry (e.g. a file or directory) starting with `+` or `-` in the working directory\n- The user uses or the app specifies any of the following editors:\n  - Vim (including gVim)\n  - MacVim\n  - Emacs (including Emacsclient)\n  - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages)\n- launch-editor older than v2.2.0 is used, or the user is using WSL\n\n#### Vite users\n\nOnly apps that match the following conditions are affected:\n\n- The attacker is able to create a file system entry (e.g. a file or directory) starting with `+` or `-` in the working directory\n- The user uses or the app specifies any of the following editors:\n  - Vim (including gVim)\n  - MacVim\n  - Emacs (including Emacsclient)\n  - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages)\n- The user is using WSL\n\n### Details\n\n`launchEditor(file)` function passes the file name as-is to the editor if the file with that file name exists. If the file name starts with `-` (also `+` for Vim), the editor treats them as flags rather than positional arguments. For example, Vim treats arguments starting with `+` as an Ex command. As a result, an existing relative directory such as:\n```\n+call writefile([\"SAFE_MARKER\"],\"LAUNCH_EDITOR_MARKER\")|qa!\n```\nis not treated as a filename when passed to Vim. Vim executes the embedded Ex command.\n\nThe following editor has a potentially destructive operation exposed to the CLI arguments:\n- Vim (including gVim)\n- MacVim\n- Emacs (including Emacsclient)\n- Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages)\n\n`launch-editor-middleware` v2.2.0+ converts the passed file path to an absolute path so those are not affected as long as the user is not using WSL. For WSL, `launch-editor` converts the paths to relative paths internally, so those are still affected.\n\nVite 2.0.0+ uses `launch-editor-middleware` v2.2.0+ so the WSL users are only affected.","aliases":["CVE-2026-112944"],"modified":"2026-10-20T20:00:04.608907013Z","published":"2026-10-20T19:51:52Z","database_specific":{"cwe_ids":["CWE-88"],"severity":"MODERATE","github_reviewed":true,"github_reviewed_at":"2026-10-20T19:51:52Z","nvd_published_at":"2026-10-20T15:17:17Z"},"references":[{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/vitejs/launch-editor/security/advisories/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-112944"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/vitejs/launch-editor/pull/156"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/vitejs/launch-editor/commit/f6e6701bb1f16f2dd242b321374f1b6cca6eb6d4"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/vitejs/launch-editor"},{"type":"WEB","url":"https://github.com/vitejs/launch-editor/releases/tag/v2.14.2"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"launch-editor","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/launch-editor"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"2.14.2"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json","last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 2.14.1"}},{"package":{"name":"vite","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/vite"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"8.3.0"},{"fixed":"8.3.3"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json","last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 8.3.2"}},{"package":{"name":"vite","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/vite"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"8.2.0"},{"fixed":"8.2.4"}]}],"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json","last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 8.2.3"}},{"package":{"name":"vite","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/vite"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"8.0.0"},{"fixed":"8.1.6"}]}],"database_specific":{"last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 8.1.5","source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json"}},{"package":{"name":"vite","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/vite"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"7.0.0"},{"fixed":"7.3.7"}]}],"database_specific":{"last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 7.3.6","source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json"}},{"package":{"name":"vite","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/vite"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"6.4.4"}]}],"database_specific":{"last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 6.4.3","source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json"}},{"package":{"name":"vite-plus","ecosystem":"npm","purl":"pkg:npm/vite-plus"},"ranges":[{"type":"SEMVER","events":[{"introduced":"0"},{"fixed":"1.1.0"}]}],"database_specific":{"last_known_affected_version_range":"\u003c= 1.0.0","source":"https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/10/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw/GHSA-r825-w8mm-5pxw.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.0","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V4","score":"CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"}]}