Insufficient verification of data authenticity in Notepad++ - CVE-2026-71858
Published: July 14, 2026 / Updated: August 19, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU137487
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4: 5.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-71858
CWE-ID: CWE-345
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local user to execute commands with elevated privileges.
The vulnerability exists due to insufficient verification of data authenticity in the shortcuts.xml macro processing path when loading an attacker-controlled shortcuts.xml through a settings directory consumed by an elevated Notepad++ instance. A local user can supply a crafted shortcuts.xml containing macros to execute commands with elevated privileges.
Exploitation is conditional on influencing the settings directory used by an elevated Notepad++ process and triggering the macro path.
Affected software
Notepad++
How to mitigate CVE-2026-71858
Install security update from vendor's website.
Notepad++ - update to 8.9.7