CVE-2026-42850: CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') in kovidgoyal kitty
Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.0, it is possible to inject commands within the subshell through kitty error. A special escape code will make kitty return an error, this error is not escaped and will be correctly echoed back to the terminal with CRLF, as such it will be run by the shell in use. To exploit this bug, the victim must use a netcat or a similar program to connect to the attacker, or else listening for someone to connect. Once this condition is set, an attacker could pwn the computer of the victim using a special kitty's escape code that will run a command in the shell in use. Version 04.7.0 fixes the issue.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2026-42850 describes a command injection vulnerability in the kitty terminal software before version 0.47.0. The vulnerability arises because a special escape code causes kitty to return an error message that is not properly escaped and is echoed back to the terminal with CRLF characters. This echoed error is interpreted and executed by the shell in use, enabling an attacker to run arbitrary commands. Exploitation requires a network interaction where the victim uses netcat or similar to connect or listen to the attacker. The vulnerability is fixed in kitty version 0.47.0.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the victim's system via the shell, potentially leading to full system compromise. The attack requires user interaction with network tools such as netcat, and the vulnerability is rated with a CVSS 4.0 score of 7.4 (high severity), indicating significant impact but with some attack complexity and user interaction required.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade kitty to version 0.47.0 or later, where this command injection vulnerability is fixed. Since no official patch or temporary fix details are provided beyond this version update, applying this upgrade is the recommended remediation. There is no indication that the vulnerability is mitigated otherwise or that no action is required.
CVE-2026-42850: CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') in kovidgoyal kitty
Description
Kitty is a cross-platform GPU based terminal. In versions prior to 0.47.0, it is possible to inject commands within the subshell through kitty error. A special escape code will make kitty return an error, this error is not escaped and will be correctly echoed back to the terminal with CRLF, as such it will be run by the shell in use. To exploit this bug, the victim must use a netcat or a similar program to connect to the attacker, or else listening for someone to connect. Once this condition is set, an attacker could pwn the computer of the victim using a special kitty's escape code that will run a command in the shell in use. Version 04.7.0 fixes the issue.
CVSS v4.0
Score 7.4high
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-42850 describes a command injection vulnerability in the kitty terminal software before version 0.47.0. The vulnerability arises because a special escape code causes kitty to return an error message that is not properly escaped and is echoed back to the terminal with CRLF characters. This echoed error is interpreted and executed by the shell in use, enabling an attacker to run arbitrary commands. Exploitation requires a network interaction where the victim uses netcat or similar to connect or listen to the attacker. The vulnerability is fixed in kitty version 0.47.0.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the victim's system via the shell, potentially leading to full system compromise. The attack requires user interaction with network tools such as netcat, and the vulnerability is rated with a CVSS 4.0 score of 7.4 (high severity), indicating significant impact but with some attack complexity and user interaction required.
Mitigation Recommendations
Upgrade kitty to version 0.47.0 or later, where this command injection vulnerability is fixed. Since no official patch or temporary fix details are provided beyond this version update, applying this upgrade is the recommended remediation. There is no indication that the vulnerability is mitigated otherwise or that no action is required.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-30T16:44:48.378Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a2c6778e617e2d834bac51b
Added to database: 06/12/2026, 20:09:28 UTC
Last enriched: 06/19/2026, 22:14:09 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:58 UTC
Views: 72
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