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Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers
(notepad-plus-plus.org)
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this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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Programming
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So the exploit redirected update traffic. Does that mean anyone who ran updates in that time period could have downloaded a compromised version and their machine would be infected?
Why isn't that covered in the post?
Yes, that's what it means.
And apparently, it happened selectively, not generally, but for specific people/request sources.
It would only be if you use the Notepad++'s own update mechanism. If you used other package managers or went and downloaded the installer to update you'd be fine.
First thing I do every time I (manually) update notepad++ is turn off automatic updates. Automatic updates are the root of all evil
But what about all the new and exciting features?! What if they come out with more letters, then who will be laughing? Likely still you but hey automagic programs are standard right?