Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-4781

Memory Safety in Vim ≤ 9.0.1873

Public PoCMemory Safety
Published
05 September 2023
Modified
23 June 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0061 46th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-4781 is a high-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Vim Vim. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 46th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Heap-based Buffer Overflow in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.1873.

CWE(s)
CWE-122

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

The heap-based buffer overflow in Vim (CVE-2023-4781) allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious input/files, directly facilitating Exploitation for Client Execution.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2026-25749Same product: Vim Vim
CVE-2023-4751Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2023-4738Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-27311Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-27313Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-28420Same product: Vim Vim
CVE-2024-45306Same product: Vim Vim
CVE-2023-4752Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2025-8879Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-10946Same product: Apple Macos

Affected Assets

vim
vim
≤ 9.0.1873
debian
debian linux
10.0
apple
macos
≤ 14.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.4.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 full match
prevents

Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
detects

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect heap overflows before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates practices that reduce the likelihood of introducing heap overflows.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory APIs that mitigate heap overflows.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safety and input-validation controls that address heap overflows.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly prescribe techniques (safe functions, bounds checks) that prevent heap-based buffer overflows.

A.8.32 Change management none match
none

Change management ensures controlled deployment of fixes for discovered heap-overflow vulnerabilities.

References