Vim: Use-after-free in JSON Decoding

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-73071 records a Low severity (CVSS 3.3) vulnerability in Vim: Use-after-free in JSON Decoding. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps vim/vim (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 11, 2026Updated Sep 9, 2026Source checked Sep 25, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 11, 2026Material review Sep 9, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Low · CVSS 3.3
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 3.3. 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 vim/vim (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
vim/vimgeneric	>= 9.2.0511, < 9.2.0844	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for vim/vim.
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 11, 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 11, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

Vim is an open source, command line text editor. From 9.2.0511 until 9.2.0844, json_decode_item() in src/json.c can retain a stale pointer after json_decode_string() invokes channel_fill() to refill and free the current buffer, causing the error path to read freed memory instead of reader->js_buf + reader->js_used when an invalid JSON string spans buffers. This issue is fixed in version 9.2.0844.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.