CVE-2019-12735

CVE-2019-12735 is a high-severity vulnerability in Vim with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.6. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 19% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-78.

Key facts

• Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.6)
• CVSS v2: 9.3
• EPSS exploit prediction: 19% (97th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-78
• Affected product: Vim
• Published: 2019-06-05
• Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

getchar.c in Vim before 8.1.1365 and Neovim before 0.3.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via the :source! command in a modeline, as demonstrated by execute in Vim, and assert_fails or nvim_input in Neovim.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-12735?

getchar.c in Vim before 8.1.1365 and Neovim before 0.3.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via the :source! command in a modeline, as demonstrated by execute in Vim, and assert_fails or nvim_input in Neovim.

How severe is CVE-2019-12735?

CVE-2019-12735 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.6, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-12735 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 19% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-12735?

CVE-2019-12735 primarily affects Vim. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-12735?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2019-12735 published?

CVE-2019-12735 was published on 2019-06-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00031.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00036.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00037.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00034.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-07/msg00050.html
• http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00075.html
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/108724
• https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1619
• https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1774
• https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1793
• https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1947
• https://bugs.debian.org/930020
• https://bugs.debian.org/930024
• https://github.com/neovim/neovim/pull/10082
• https://github.com/numirias/security/blob/master/doc/2019-06-04_ace-vim-neovim.md
• https://github.com/vim/vim/commit/53575521406739cf20bbe4e384d88e7dca11f040
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/08/msg00003.html
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/2BMDSHTF754TITC6AQJPCS5IRIDMMIM7/
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/TRIRBC2YRGKPAWVRMZS4SZTGGCVRVZPR/
• https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Jul/39
• https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Jun/33
• https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-04
• https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K93144355
• https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K93144355?utm_source=f5support&utm_medium=RSS
• https://usn.ubuntu.com/4016-1/
• https://usn.ubuntu.com/4016-2/
• https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4467
• https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4487
• https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46973
• https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2BMDSHTF754TITC6AQJPCS5IRIDMMIM7/

Affected products (2)

• cpe:2.3:a:vim:vim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:neovim:neovim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Vim

• CVE-2020-20703 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Buffer Overflow vulnerability in VIM v.8.1.2135 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the operand…
• CVE-2022-3520 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Heap-based Buffer Overflow in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.0765.
• CVE-2022-0318 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Heap-based Buffer Overflow in vim/vim prior to 8.2.
• CVE-2017-6350 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An integer overflow at an unserialize_uep memory allocation site would occur for vim before patch 8.0.0378, if it does…
• CVE-2017-6349 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An integer overflow at a u_read_undo memory allocation site would occur for vim before patch 8.0.0377, if it does not…
• CVE-2017-5953 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): vim before patch 8.0.0322 does not properly validate values for tree length when handling a spell file, which may…

All CVEs affecting Vim →

Other CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) vulnerabilities

• CVE-2026-56004 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A shellcode injection in the mercurial handler of the obs tar_scm source service before version 0.12.4 could be used by…
• CVE-2026-56415 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Storage Concentrator (SC & SCVM) contains a command injection vulnerability within the debug.pl script that is…
• CVE-2026-56413 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Storage Concentrator (SC & SCVM) contains a command injection vulnerability in the ms_service.pl service, which listens…
• CVE-2026-49869 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, AuthenticationFilter in…
• CVE-2026-49261 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. Versions 10.6.1 through 10.6.26, 10.11.1 through…
• CVE-2026-10520 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An OS Command Injection vulnerability in Ivanti Sentry before the R10.5.2, R10.6.2 and R10.7.1 versions allows a…

Browse all CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) vulnerabilities →