Notepad++: Stack Buffer Overflow in Plugin Lexer Loading via Unchecked GetLexerCount() Return Value

Overview

Notepad++ is a free and open-source source code editor. Prior to 8.9.8, Notepad++ contains a stack buffer overflow in PluginsManager::loadPluginFromPath in PowerEditor/src/MISC/PluginsManager/PluginsManager.cpp because the plugin-supplied GetLexerCount() result controls a loop that writes to containers[30] without enforcing NB_MAX_EXTERNAL_LANG. A malicious or compromised plugin that reports more than 30 lexers can write beyond the stack array and corrupt control data, which can permit arbitrary code execution in the Notepad++ process context. This issue is fixed in version 8.9.8.

Affected

• notepad-plus-plus < 8.9.8

Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.