Description
Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. An Unsafe Search Path vulnerability (CWE-426) exists in versions prior to 8.9.2 when launching Windows Explorer without an absolute executable path. This may allow execution of a malicious explorer.exe if an attacker can control the process working directory. Under certain conditions, this could lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the running application. Version 8.9.2 patches the issue.
Scores
CVSS v3
7.3
EPSS
0.0002
EPSS Percentile
4.2%
Attack Vector
LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA SSVC
Vulnrichment
Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical Impact
total
Details
CWE
CWE-426
Status
published
Products (1)
notepad-plus-plus/notepad\+\+
< 8.9.2
Published
Feb 19, 2026
Tracked Since
Feb 19, 2026