CVE-2026-80431
Out-of-bounds write in the kitty text sizing protocol allows termination of the terminal process
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
6.8
Out-of-bounds write in the kitty text sizing protocol allows termination of the terminal process
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
CVE-2026-80431- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2026-87088
6.8
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
EUVD-2026-87088- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-fx7r-q727-j825
6.8
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0...
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
GHSA-fx7r-q727-j825- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
6.8
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
CVE-2026-80431- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.8
Out-of-bounds write in the kitty text sizing protocol allows termination of the terminal process
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
CVE-2026-80431- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-787
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2026-80431
6.8
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2026-80431- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2026-80431
6.8
Out-of-bounds Write in the natural width branch of the text sizing protocol in kitty from 0.40.0 before 0.49.0 allows a program writing to the terminal to write past the end of a fixed-size buffer, because screen_handle_multicell_command() in kitty/screen.c appends each codepoint of a grapheme cluster with lc.chars[lc.count++] = ch without any capacity check, while lc is declared by the RAII_ListOfChars macro as a four-element char_type array in the function's stack frame, so an OSC 66 escape code whose payload carries a grapheme cluster longer than four codepoints writes beyond that buffer, one 32-bit value per additional codepoint, in the order the codepoints appear. Where the cluster is preceded in the same payload by a sequence that causes an intermediate flush, the buffer is first migrated to the heap by ensure_space_for_chars() and the write occurs past the heap allocation instead. This results in termination of the kitty process and therefore of all its windows, tabs and child processes.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-80431- CVSS 4.0
- 6.8 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
kittyDebian:12 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.26.5-50.30.1-10.31.0-10.31.0-20.31.0-3 Show 35 moreShow less0.31.0-40.32.0-10.32.1-10.32.2-10.33.0-20.33.1-10.34.1-10.35.1-10.35.2-10.36.1-10.36.4-10.36.4-20.36.4-30.37.0-10.38.1-10.39.0-10.39.1-10.40.0-10.41.1-10.41.1-20.42.1-10.42.2-10.43.1-10.44.0-10.45.0-10.45.0-20.46.1-10.46.2-10.47.0-10.47.0-20.47.0-30.47.3-10.47.4-10.48.2-10.48.2-1.1 |
None known |
kittyDebian:13 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.41.1-20.41.1-2+deb13u10.41.1-2+deb13u20.42.1-10.42.2-1 Show 13 moreShow less0.43.1-10.44.0-10.45.0-10.45.0-20.46.1-10.46.2-10.47.0-10.47.0-20.47.0-30.47.3-10.47.4-10.48.2-10.48.2-1.1 |
None known |
kittyDebian:14 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.41.1-20.42.1-10.42.2-10.43.1-10.44.0-1 Show 11 moreShow less0.45.0-10.45.0-20.46.1-10.46.2-10.47.0-10.47.0-20.47.0-30.47.3-10.47.4-10.48.2-10.48.2-1.1 |
None known |
kittyUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.14.3-10.14.4-10.14.6-10.15.0-10.15.0-1build10.15.0-1ubuntu0.20.15.0-1ubuntu0.2+esm1 |
None known |
kittyUbuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.19.3-10.21.2-10.21.2-1build10.21.2-1ubuntu0.22.04.10.21.2-1ubuntu0.22.04.1+esm1 |
None known |
kittyUbuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.26.5-3ubuntu20.26.5-5ubuntu10.31.0-30.31.0-40.32.2-1 Show 8 moreShow less0.32.2-1build20.32.2-1build30.32.2-1ubuntu0.10.32.2-1ubuntu0.20.32.2-1ubuntu0.30.32.2-1ubuntu0.40.32.2-1ubuntu0.4+esm10.32.2-1ubuntu0.4+esm2 |
None known |
kittyUbuntu:26.10 |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.45.0-1build10.47.0-30.47.4-10.48.2-1.1ubuntu1 |
None known |
kittyUbuntu:Pro:26.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 0.41.1-20.43.1-10.44.0-10.45.0-10.45.0-1build10.45.0-1ubuntu0.1~esm10.45.0-1ubuntu0.1~esm2 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2026-80431 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.8) in Kitty Project Kitty, published September 25, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.13%, the 2nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.
References
github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/commit/7d2fbaadcc2b1eeeef89bd875ec622b42362574b
github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/releases/tag/v0.49.0
secur0.com/en/cna/cve-list/cve-2026-80431-kitty-text-sizing-out-of-bounds-write
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-80431
github.com/advisories/GHSA-fx7r-q727-j825
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/80xxx/CVE-2026-80431.json