Kakoune has a Critical RCE via Autorestore Backup Filename Injection (CVE-2026-48120) | HOL Guard CVE

High · CVSS 8.6CVE-2026-48120

Kakoune has a Critical RCE via Autorestore Backup Filename Injection

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-48120 records a High severity (CVSS 8.6) vulnerability in Kakoune has a Critical RCE via Autorestore Backup Filename Injection. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps mawww/kakoune (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 7, 2026Updated Sep 9, 2026Source checked Sep 22, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 7, 2026Material review Sep 9, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 8.6
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Not reported

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 8.6. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps mawww/kakoune (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
mawww/kakounegeneric	< 2026.05.21	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for mawww/kakoune.
Review the reported fix. Monitor this advisory for an available fix and review any installs of the affected package.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 7, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 9, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 7, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

Kakoune is a code editor. Prior to version 2026.05.21, the bundled, enabled by default, `autorestore.kak` script can be exploited by malicious backup files leading to arbitrary kakoune and shell commands being executed by simply opening a file. Kakoune 2026.05.21 fixes the issue. As a workaround, add `autorestore-disable` to the user kakrc will disable the autorestore feature.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.