Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Lifecycle Timeline
6DescriptionCVE.org
Notepad++ 8.9.3 contains a format string injection vulnerability in the Find Results panel handler that allows attackers to cause denial of service and information disclosure by crafting a malicious nativeLang.xml language pack file. Attackers can distribute a poisoned language pack through community channels that triggers format string interpretation when a user performs search operations, leading to access violations and potential leakage of stack or register contents.
AnalysisAI
Format string injection in Notepad++ 8.9.3 Find Results panel handler allows local attackers to cause denial of service and disclose stack memory by distributing malicious nativeLang.xml language pack files that trigger unsafe format string interpretation during search operations. User interaction is required to load the poisoned language pack and perform a search. No active exploitation confirmed, but patch is available from vendor.
Technical ContextAI
Notepad++ uses nativeLang.xml language pack files to configure UI localization and search result formatting. The vulnerability exists in CWE-134 (Use of Externally-Controlled Format String), where the Find Results panel handler interprets format string specifiers (e.g., %x, %s, %n) from untrusted XML configuration without sanitization. When a user performs a search operation after loading a malicious language pack, these format strings are processed as if they were format string directives rather than literal text, allowing attackers to read stack memory or cause crashes. The affected product is identified by CPE cpe:2.3:a:notepad++:notepad++:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*, confirming all versions prior to the fix are vulnerable.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch available: upgrade Notepad++ to version 8.9.4 or later from https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v894-released/. Users should download language packs only from official Notepad++ repositories and verify package integrity before installation. As an interim compensating control, restrict user permissions to install third-party language packs or disable custom language pack loading entirely by editing Notepad++ configuration files to prevent loading of unsigned or unverified nativeLang.xml files. However, this may limit legitimate localization functionality for international users. Until patched, users should avoid downloading language packs from untrusted community sources (third-party forums, mirrors, unofficial GitHub repositories) and only use officially distributed language packs. The patch addresses the root cause by sanitizing format string input in the Find Results panel handler, eliminating format string interpretation of XML-sourced configuration data.
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Same weakness CWE-134 – Use of Externally-Controlled Format String
View allSame technique Denial Of Service
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External POC / Exploit Code
Leaving vuln.today
EUVD-2026-26436