CVE-2026-38972
HIGHDescription
Notepad3 through 6.25.822.1 contains a DLL search-order hijacking vulnerability in the About-dialog code path in src/Notepad3.c. The application calls LoadLibrary(L"MSFTEDIT.DLL") with a bare DLL name, which allows a local attacker to place a malicious MSFTEDIT.DLL in the application directory or another preferred DLL search location and achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the user when the About dialog is opened.
How to fix
No published remediation has been found for this vulnerability's affected products yet.
Mitigation guidance may be in the linked vendor advisories in the References section below.
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CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 9% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-427 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-27955 | Critical | 9.8 | 83% | - | - |
| CVE-2017-6517 | Critical | 9.8 | 46% | - | - |
| CVE-2020-3153 | Medium | 6.5 | 28% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2024-48990 | High | 7.8 | 20% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-9491 | High | 7.8 | 13% | - | - |
| CVE-2022-2334 | High | 7.2 | 12% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-38972?
No published fix for CVE-2026-38972 has been found yet. Check the linked vendor advisories for guidance as it becomes available.
Is CVE-2026-38972 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-38972 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.19% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 9% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-38972?
CVE-2026-38972 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-07-08.