CVE-2026-86056: Null Dereference (CVSS 5.5)

Description

Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.8, the NPPM_SAVESESSION handler in PowerEditor/src/NppBigSwitch.cpp converts lParam to a sessionInfo pointer and dereferences its nbFile, files, and sessionFilePathName members without checking for null. A process running at the same or a higher Windows integrity level on the same desktop can send NPPM_SAVESESSION with a null lParam, immediately terminating Notepad++ and causing denial of service and loss of unsaved documents. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.8.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0016

Probability of exploitation

0.05%

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-476 CWE-476

References

Other References

https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/8b33f52e7aa488b1222d3cfce5903a38dd63101f 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-j85c-6wc9-p98p https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v898-released

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-86056? +

Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.8, the NPPM_SAVESESSION handler in PowerEditor/src/NppBigSwitch.cpp converts lParam to a sessionInfo pointer and dereferences its nbFile, files, and sessionFilePathName members without checking for null. A process running at the same or a higher Windows integrity level on the same desktop can send NPPM_SAVESESSION with a null lParam, immediately terminating Notepad++ and causing denial of service and loss of unsaved documents. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.8. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-86056? +

CVE-2026-86056 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0016, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-86056? +

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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