Bug 2488567 (CVE-2026-42850)

Summary: CVE-2026-42850 kitty: Kitty: Arbitrary code execution via command injection through unescaped error
Product: [Other] Security Response Reporter: OSIDB Bzimport <bzimport>
Component: vulnerabilityAssignee: Product Security DevOps Team <prodsec-dev>
Status: NEW --- QA Contact:
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Priority: high    
Version: unspecifiedKeywords: Security
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Hardware: All   
OS: Linux   
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A flaw was found in Kitty, a cross-platform GPU based terminal. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted escape code to a victim who is connected to the attacker via a program like netcat. This escape code triggers an unescaped error that is then executed by the victim's shell, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution on the victim's system.
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Bug Depends On: 2488604, 2488606    
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Description OSIDB Bzimport 2026-06-12 21:02:52 UTC
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.