High severity · published Jun 26, 2026
CVE-2026-48800
Notepad++: Arbitrary Code Execution via shortcuts.xml UserCommand Injection
7.8
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.6.1, the <Command> tag text content inside <UserDefinedCommands> in shortcuts.xml is read by NppXml::value(aNode) (Parameters.cpp:3658) in the feedUserCmds() function and stored in UserCommand._cmd without any validation. When the user clicks the corresponding entry in the Run menu, NppCommands.cpp:4264 creates a Command object with string2wstring(ucmd.getCmd()) and calls run(), which invokes ShellExecute (RunDlg.cpp:221) with the attacker-controlled string as the executable path. The injected command appears as a normal menu item in the Run menu, making it a viable persistence mechanism. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.9.6.1.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 11% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
NO
notepad-plus-plus · notepad-plus-plus
< 8.9.6.1 · source: vendor
NO
Notepad++ · Notepad-plus-plus
before 8.9.6.1 · source: NVD
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-48800
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-48800
Patch
https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/6b3dc52a9245c6d8c6287a8d6d93a30981c05feb
Exploit
https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-3x3f-3j39-pj3v
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