CVE-2026-71858
MediumCVSS 5.4Exploitation Probability (EPSS)
Low risk1th percentile - higher than 1% of all known CVEs
Summary
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.
Risk Assessment
A local attacker can exploit macros to modify protected files or execute commands with elevated privileges, potentially leading to system integrity compromise.
Recommendation
Update Notepad++ to version 8.9.7 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Original NVD description (English source)
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.