CVE-2026-85279: Stack Overflow (CVSS 8.6)

Description

Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.8, Notepad++ contains a stack buffer overflow in PluginsManager::loadPluginFromPath in PowerEditor/src/MISC/PluginsManager/PluginsManager.cpp because the plugin-supplied GetLexerCount() result controls a loop that writes to containers[30] without enforcing NB_MAX_EXTERNAL_LANG. A malicious or compromised plugin that reports more than 30 lexers can write beyond the stack array and corrupt control data, which can permit arbitrary code execution in the Notepad++ process context. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.8.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

8.6

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0022

Probability of exploitation

0.12%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-121 CWE-121

References

Other References

https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/70b88f95311d88523cde6be1b1ec938aa48c24bc https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/f1e1c71b090d69ca0f0175ab73895da41db67a16 https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/tag/v8.9.8 https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-h2wq-6x75-h8q2 https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v898-released https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-h2wq-6x75-h8q2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-85279? +

Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.8, Notepad++ contains a stack buffer overflow in PluginsManager::loadPluginFromPath in PowerEditor/src/MISC/PluginsManager/PluginsManager.cpp because the plugin-supplied GetLexerCount() result controls a loop that writes to containers[30] without enforcing NB_MAX_EXTERNAL_LANG. A malicious or compromised plugin that reports more than 30 lexers can write beyond the stack array and corrupt control data, which can permit arbitrary code execution in the Notepad++ process context. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.8. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-85279? +

CVE-2026-85279 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.6 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0022, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-85279? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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