GHSA-587h-7wmj-h5pm - launch-editor: `fs.existsSync()` existence check can be bypassed on Windows
### Summary
`launch-editor` checked `fs.existsSync(fileName)` before passing a supplied path to an editor command. On Windows, an attacker can bypass this check with a crafted path ending in `\\..:line:column`. This removes the requirement that the attacker be able to place a file with a malicious filename.
Combined with the `%` escaping issue described in [GHSA-698v-4r3x-3vcv](https://github.com/vitejs/launch-editor/security/advisories/GHSA-698v-4r3x-3vcv), this bypass can lead to OS command injection when an attacker controls the file argument.
### Impact
Only apps that runs on Windows is affected.
### Details
The earlier advisory assumed that `fs.existsSync()` required an attacker-controlled filename to exist. This advisory covers a bypass of that requirement.
A crafted value ending in `\\..:1:1` is interpreted differently by `launch-editor-middleware`, `launch-editor`, and Windows:
1. `launch-editor-middleware` calls `path.resolve()` while the final path component is `..:1:1`, so it is not treated as a parent-directory component.
2. `launch-editor` treats `:1:1` as a line-and-column suffix and removes it, leaving a path ending in `\\..`.
3. On Windows, `fs.existsSync()` accepts the resulting path as the existing parent directory even though the attacker-controlled preceding component does not exist.
4. Because the existence check passes, the crafted filename reaches the Windows shell command.
HIGH
Severity & confidence
Source severityhigh
Platform severityhigh
Confidencehigh
Exploitationunknown
CVSS-
Affected
Vendorslaunch-editorvitevite-plusRed Hat
Productslaunch-editorvitevite-plus
Reporting sources (2)
GitHub Security Advisories
Red Hat - CVE Feed
Timeline & provenance
Published2026-10-20T19:48:25
Last updated2026-10-21T05:51:58
Ingested2026-10-20T20:00:16
FreshnessNEAR-REAL-TIME
Threat typeadvisory
Recommended action
Review the advisory and upgrade affected packages to the first patched version.
Next steps
- Identify affected systems in your environment.
- Apply the vendor patch or mitigation guidance.
- Review logs for indicators described in the advisory.
- Follow the affected vendor/product to track updates.
Confidence explanation
Reported by a government or cert-grade source (CISA, NCSC, NVD, ENISA, MSRC).
Source type: vendor ยท Original: GitHub Security Advisories