Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Kitty terminal versions before 0.26.2 can mishandle desktop notification data. If a user displays attacker-controlled terminal content and then clicks the resulting notification popup, arbitrary code execution may occur. This is most urgent for developer and administrator workstations using Kitty.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority workstation patch, especially for technical staff. The issue needs user interaction, but successful exploitation could execute code with serious business impact on developer or administrator machines.
Technical view
CVE-2022-41322 is an insufficient validation issue in Kitty's desktop notification escape sequence handling, categorized as CWE-116. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8 with local attack vector, no privileges required, user interaction required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems running Kitty before 0.26.2 where users may display attacker-controlled content in the terminal. The source bundle does not identify broader affected products or CPEs.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. Successful exploitation requires user interaction: attacker-controlled terminal content must be displayed, and the user must click a notification popup.
Researcher notes
Primary evidence points to Kitty before 0.26.2 and a fix in the upstream commit and release comparison. The bundle does not provide exploit proof, active exploitation evidence, or complete affected package version ranges for every distribution.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Kitty to version 0.26.2 or later where available.
- Apply relevant distribution security updates from Gentoo, Fedora, or Debian LTS.
- Prioritize developer and administrator endpoints using Kitty.
- Avoid clicking terminal-triggered notifications from untrusted content until patched.
- Check vendor and distribution advisories for exact package status.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints for installed Kitty versions below 0.26.2.
- Confirm package manager updates include the CVE-2022-41322 fix.
- Review Gentoo, Fedora, and Debian advisories for applicable fleets.
- Verify scanner findings clear after upgrading Kitty.
- Check workstation build images for vulnerable Kitty packages.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-116: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-41322 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/commit/f05783e64d5fa62e1aed603e8d69aced5e49824fCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://bugs.gentoo.org/868543CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/kovidgoyal/kitty/compare/v0.26.1...v0.26.2CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/changelog/#detailed-list-of-changesCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- GLSA-202209-22CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
- FEDORA-2022-d718af66d1CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- FEDORA-2022-04bc7cd075CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_FEDORA
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/06/msg00000.htmlCVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output
Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.