Medium severity · published Aug 17, 2026
CVE-2026-71858
Notepad++: shortcuts.xml Macro HMAC Bypass Enables Conditional Elevated Command Execution
5.4
CVSS
0.1%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.7, macros loaded from an attacker-controlled shortcuts.xml bypass the HMAC validation applied to UserDefinedCommands and can invoke Scintilla actions and the internal Open in Default Viewer command in an elevated Notepad++ process, allowing protected file modification and conditional elevated command execution when a local attacker influences settingsDir and a user triggers the macro. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.7.
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.1% · higher than 2% 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
< 8.9.7 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-71858
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-71858
github.com
https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/commit/7686e5a3025eaf1fb8e024c2ceb54670ea05f5fb
github.com
https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/tag/v8.9.7
github.com
https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/security/advisories/GHSA-f4rj-vqq4-wvg4
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