Skip to main content
Public proof of conceptFix available

CVE-2019-12735

A public proof of concept exists; no exploitation attested.

  • Published2019-06-05
  • Fixed in0.3.6
  • WeaknessCWE-78

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

getchar.c in Vim before 8.1.1365 and Neovim before 0.3.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via the :source! command in a modeline, as demonstrated by execute in Vim, and assert_fails or nvim_input in Neovim.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2019-06-04Exploit-DB entryExploit-DB
  2. 2019-06-0514:29CVE publishedNVD

Observed activity

isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-11-03 21:37 UTC
Indicators tagged with this CVE, per day0 indicators over 7 days
Block these indicators
  • Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2019-12735?format=txt
  • CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2019-12735?format=csv
  • TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
  • The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.

Versions per branch

NVD
Neovim
BranchAffectedFixed in
0.3< 0.3.60.3.6
Vim
BranchAffectedFixed in
8.1< 8.1.13658.1.1365

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • neovimUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTSall versions · fixed in 0.2.2-3ubuntu0.1~esm1
  • neovimSUSE:Package Hub 15 SP1all versions · fixed in 0.3.7-bp151.3.3.1
  • neovimSUSE:Package Hub 15all versions · fixed in 0.3.1-bp150.2.6.1
  • neovimSUSE:Package Hub 15all versions · fixed in 0.3.7-bp150.2.9.1
  • neovimopenSUSE:Tumbleweedall versions · fixed in 0.5.1-1.1
  • neovimopenSUSE:Leap 15.1all versions · fixed in 0.3.1-bp150.2.6.1
  • neovimopenSUSE:Leap 15.1all versions · fixed in 0.3.7-lp151.2.7.1
  • neovimopenSUSE:Leap 15.0all versions · fixed in 0.3.1-bp150.2.6.1

86 more package ranges on OSV.dev

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2019-12735 Red Hat Product Security527 products fixed · 1 known affected

    vim/neovim: ': source!' command allows arbitrary command execution via modelines

    vim as a component of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

  • RHSA-2019:1947 Red Hat Product Security33 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: vim security update

  • RHSA-2019:1793 Red Hat Product Security21 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: vim security update

  • RHSA-2019:1774 Red Hat Product Security59 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: vim security update

  • RHSA-2019:1619 Red Hat Product Security132 products fixed

    Red Hat Security Advisory: vim security update

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. Update Neovim to 0.3.6
  2. Vendor fix Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2019:1947 · 33 productsFor details on how to apply this update, which includes the changes described in this advisory, refer to: https://access.redhat.com/articles/11258
  3. Workaround from the vendor Red Hat Product Security RHSA-2019:1947 · 33 productsThe vulnerability can be triggered only if `modeline` is enabled. You can check whether `modeline` is enabled within vim via the command `:set modeline?` It can be turned off explicitly by adding `set nomodeline` in a vimrc file.
  4. No fix planned, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2019-12735 · 1 productOut of support scope

Advisories and patches

Detection

read 2026-11-02 22:42 UTC
Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
EDB-46973
Exploit-DB
Proof-of-concept repositories
5 repositories, unverifiedpcy190/ace-vim-neovimoldthree3/CVE-2019-12735-VIM-NEOVIMdatntsec/CVE-2019-12735nickylimjj/cve-2019-12735st9007a/CVE-2019-12735
PoC-in-GitHub
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published
2019-06-05
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-5x93-92vm-jw5m

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-12735?

getchar.c in Vim before 8.1.1365 and Neovim before 0.3.6 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands via the :source! command in a modeline, as demonstrated by execute in Vim, and assert_fails or nvim_input in Neovim.

Is CVE-2019-12735 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2019-12735 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 19.0% on 2026-11-03, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2019-12735?

CVE-2019-12735 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.6 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Running vim/neovim? Hear about its next vulnerability

Surveillance reads the versions in your stack — a domain, a lockfile or a list — checks each CVE against the ranges its sources publish, and alerts you when one you run is exploited or enters CISA KEV. A version it cannot read stays « version not verified ».

Get alerts for this productCISA KEV additions, November 2026Search CVEs

No credit card required · No monthly cap on website lookups · 250 API requests/month

Go further

Related vulnerabilities

Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.

Back to CVE Database

Sources for this record