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VimApplication

CVE-2026-59856

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2.0736 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
Public exploit No privileges Patch available 6 weeks old

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Vim is an open source, command line text editor. Prior to 9.2.0736, the PHP omni-completion script in runtime/autoload/phpcomplete.vim interpolates a class or trait name, taken from the contents of the edited buffer, into a search() pattern that is run via win_execute() without escaping. A name containing a single quote can terminate the search() string argument early, and because the bar is honored as an Ex command separator, the remainder of the name is run as Ex commands; via the :! command this allows arbitrary operating-system command execution when a victim opens a crafted PHP file and invokes omni-completion. This issue is fixed in version 9.2.0736.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The PHP omni-completion script in Vim's runtime/autoload/phpcomplete.vim interpolates class or trait names from the edited buffer into a search() pattern executed via win_execute() without proper escaping. A single quote in the name terminates the search() string prematurely, and because the bar character is interpreted as an Ex command separator, the remaining text is executed as an Ex command. This allows arbitrary OS command execution via the :! command when a user opens a crafted PHP file and triggers omni-completion.

MitigationUpgrade Vim to version 9.2.0736 or later, which includes proper escaping of interpolated values in the phpcomplete.vim script.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
VimApplication
Affected:< 9.2.0736

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check your Vim version
    Run `vim --version` in a terminal or open Vim and type `:version`. Look for the version number in the output (e.g., Vim version 9.0.xxx).
    Affected if The version is less than 9.2.0736 (for example, 9.0, 9.1, or 9.2.0-9.2.0735).
  2. Verify PHP omni-completion is enabled
    Open Vim and run `:set filetype?` to confirm PHP filetype detection is active. Then check if omni-completion is enabled with `:set omnifunc?` - for PHP files this should show phpcomplete#Complete. You can also verify with `:echo exists('&omnifunc')` which should return 1.
    Affected if The omnifunc is set to phpcomplete#Complete, meaning PHP omni-completion is active.
  3. Confirm phpcomplete.vim exists in your Vim runtime
    In Vim, run `:echo stdpath('runtimepix') . '/autoload/phpcomplete.vim'` to find the path, then check if that file exists using `:echo filereadable('path/to/phpcomplete.vim')`.
    Affected if The file exists and is readable (returns 1).
  4. Check if you edit PHP files with Vim
    Look for any .php files you have recently opened or currently have open in Vim. Use `:ls` or `:buffers` to list open buffers and check for .php extensions.
    Affected if You have .php files open or recently edited in Vim with omni-completion enabled.

You are affected if you run Vim version 9.2.0735 or earlier, have PHP omni-completion (phpcomplete#Complete) enabled, and edit PHP files - an attacker could exploit this by crafting a PHP file with malicious class/trait names containing single quotes and pipe characters.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.2.0736 or later
Fixed in 9.2.0736
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Vim to version 9.2.0736 or later, which includes proper escaping of interpolated values in the phpcomplete.vim script.

Recommended fix High confidence

9.2.0736

  1. Check current Vim version by running: vim --version
  2. Upgrade Vim to version 9.2.0736 or later. On most Linux distributions, use your package manager (e.g., apt update && apt install vim, yum update vim, or dnf upgrade vim). For other platforms, download from the official Vim website or use a package manager specific to your OS.
  3. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: vim --version and confirming the version number is 9.2.0736 or higher.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Vim Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-59856 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data