CVE Watchtower

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CVE-2026-95832NVD

Vulnerability Summary

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component in the colour control escape code handler in kitty from 0.47.3 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to execute an arbitrary command in the user's shell, because color_control() in kitty/window.py answers a query for an unrecognised field name by placing that field name into the reply, and write_escape_code_to_child() in kitty/screen.c then writes the reply to the pseudoterminal master, where it is not distinguishable from input typed by the user, without neutralising it for the shell that reads it. The payload is reduced to printable ASCII before the field name is echoed, which is the restriction introduced in 0.47.3 as the fix for CVE-2026-54057, and the record and field separators ; and = are consumed as delimiters, but every other printable character survives, which is sufficient to compose a shell command. A newline is available from handle_remote_ssh() in kitty/window.py, which writes the bytes yielded by get_ssh_data() in kittens/ssh/utils.py, the first of which begin with a newline, to the pseudoterminal master before any credential carried in the request is checked. The reply is framed as an OSC sequence carrying the escape code number, the field name, and the literal value ?. This results in execution of an attacker-chosen command with the privileges of the user running the terminal.
Severity Level
CRITICAL(9.3)
Published Date
Sep 25, 2026
Last Modified
Sep 25, 2026
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation yet
EPSS Score (30-Day)
Data Pending
Root Weakness (CWE)
Refer to the official MITRE database for detailed architectural specifications regarding this weakness.
CVSS v4.0 Base Metrics — Score 9.3 (CRITICAL)
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Attack RequirementsNone
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionPassive
Confidentiality (Vulnerable System)High
Integrity (Vulnerable System)High
Availability (Vulnerable System)High
Confidentiality (Subsequent System)High
Integrity (Subsequent System)High
Availability (Subsequent System)High

Affected & Patched Versions

Affected Versions
  • Kovid Goyal kitty >= 0.47.3 and < 0.49.0
Patched Versions
  • Kovid Goyal kitty 0.49.0
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