CVE-2026-112944: launch-editor: Editor CLI flag misinterpretation causing arbitrary command execution for some editors
Summary
launch-editor forwarded file paths directly to editors without sanitization. If a path resembles a CLI flag, editors like Vim may interpret it as a command, potentially causing unintended file overwrites or command execution.
Impact
Direct launch-editor users
Only apps that match all of the following conditions are affected:
- The attacker is able to create a file system entry (e.g. a file or directory) starting with + or - in the working directory - The user uses or the app specifies any of the following editors: - Vim (including gVim) - MacVim - Emacs (including Emacsclient) - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages) - The first argument of launchEditor can start with + or - or the user is using WSL
launch-editor-middleware users
Only apps that match the following conditions are affected:
- The attacker is able to create a file system entry (e.g. a file or directory) starting with + or - in the working directory - The user uses or the app specifies any of the following editors: - Vim (including gVim) - MacVim - Emacs (including Emacsclient) - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages) - launch-editor older than v2.2.0 is used, or the user is using WSL
Vite users
Only apps that match the following conditions are affected:
- The attacker is able to create a file system entry (e.g. a file or directory) starting with + or - in the working directory - The user uses or the app specifies any of the following editors: - Vim (including gVim) - MacVim - Emacs (including Emacsclient) - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages) - The user is using WSL
Details
launchEditor(file) function passes the file name as-is to the editor if the file with that file name exists. If the file name starts with - (also + for Vim), the editor treats them as flags rather than positional arguments. For example, Vim treats arguments starting with + as an Ex command. As a result, an existing relative directory such as: +call writefile(["SAFEMARKER"],"LAUNCHEDITORMARKER")|qa! is not treated as a filename when passed to Vim. Vim executes the embedded Ex command.
The following editor has a potentially destructive operation exposed to the CLI arguments: - Vim (including gVim) - MacVim - Emacs (including Emacsclient) - Notepad++ (only if using a plugin exposing dangerous operations via plugin messages)
launch-editor-middleware v2.2.0+ converts the passed file path to an absolute path so those are not affected as long as the user is not using WSL. For WSL, launch-editor converts the paths to relative paths internally, so those are still affected.
Vite 2.0.0+ uses launch-editor-middleware v2.2.0+ so the WSL users are only affected.
Other sources
launch-editor allows users to open files with line numbers in editor from Node.js. Prior to 2.14.2, when an attacker can create a filesystem entry beginning with plus or minus in the working directory, an affected editor is selected, and the path can remain relative or is converted to a relative WSL path, launchEditor forwards the path without forcing it to be interpreted as a positional filename. Editor option parsing then treats the attacker-controlled filename as a command-line flag, which can cause unintended file overwrite or arbitrary command execution by the selected editor. The affected editors are Vim and gVim, MacVim, Emacs and Emacsclient, and Notepad++ when a plugin exposes dangerous operations; WSL path conversion keeps Vite and newer middleware callers exposed. This issue is fixed in version 2.14.2.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/vite-plusto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.1.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/viteto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.4.4 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/viteto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 7.3.7 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/viteto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.1.6 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/viteto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.2.4 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/viteto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 8.3.3 - Upgrade
Upgrade
npm/launch-editorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.14.2 - Upgrade
Upgrade
launch-editorto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 2.14.2
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which environments are realistically exposed?
Exposure requires an attacker to create a file or directory whose name starts with + or - in the working directory, and use of Vim, gVim, MacVim, Emacs, Emacsclient, or potentially Notepad++ with a plugin that exposes dangerous operations through plugin messages.
What additional conditions affect direct users of the package?
For direct users, the first argument passed to launchEditor must be able to start with + or -, or the user must be using WSL. All of the other exposure conditions, including attacker-controlled filesystem entries and a listed editor, must also be present.
How can I determine whether an application may be affected?
Identify whether it uses the listed software and invokes the editor-launching functionality. Then check whether untrusted parties can create working-directory entries beginning with + or - and whether affected users select one of the listed editors.