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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2026-42851 kovidgoyal CVE debrief

CVE-2026-42851 is a high-severity vulnerability in Kitty, a cross-platform GPU-based terminal. Versions prior to 0.47.0 are affected, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary Python code with the user's full privileges. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.8 and is classified as HIGH.

Vendor
kovidgoyal
Product
kitty
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-06-12
Original CVE updated
2026-06-16
Advisory published
2026-06-12
Advisory updated
2026-06-16

Who should care

Users of Kitty terminal versions prior to 0.47.0 should update to the latest version to prevent potential code execution attacks.

Technical summary

A program able to write bytes to a Kitty terminal can cause Kitty to execute attacker-supplied Python inside the running Kitty process, with the user's full privileges. There is no approval prompt, no remote-control permission requirement, no shell-integration interaction, no clipboard touch, and no editor interaction.

Defensive priority

HIGH

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update Kitty to version 0.47.0 or later.

Evidence notes

CVE-2026-42851 has been published and has a CVSS score of 7.8. The vulnerability affects Kitty versions prior to 0.47.0.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-42851 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42851

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-42851 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42851

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.