Medium · CVSS 5.4CVE-2026-71858

Notepad++: shortcuts.xml Macro HMAC Bypass Enables Conditional Elevated Command Execution

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-71858 records a Medium severity (CVSS 5.4) vulnerability in Notepad++: shortcuts.xml Macro HMAC Bypass Enables Conditional Elevated Command Execution. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus (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 17, 2026Updated Sep 9, 2026Source checked Oct 1, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 17, 2026Material review Sep 9, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Medium · CVSS 5.4
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 5.4. 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 notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plusgeneric	< 8.9.7	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus.
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 17, 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 17, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

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.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.