RCE in GNU Emacs
CVE-2022-45939
GNU Emacs through 28.2 allows attackers to execute commands via shell metacharacters in the name of a source-code file, because lib-src/etags.c uses the system C library function in its implementation of the ctags program. For example, a victim may use the "ctags *" command (suggested in the ctags documentation) in a situation where the current working directory has contents that depend on untrusted input.
Vulnerability class: Command Injection (OS Command Injection)
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.007 (51.6th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 52nd percentile — 51.6% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.007 · newest: 0.007 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- GNU Emacs
- Debian Linux — versions 10.0, 11.0
- Fedoraproject Fedora — versions 36, 37
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/ (Patch)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/12/msg00046.html (mailing-list, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/… (vendor-advisory)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/… (vendor-advisory)
- www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5314 (vendor-advisory, Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2022-45939?
- CVE-2022-45939 is a high-severity vulnerability in GNU Emacs, classified under OS Command Injection. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2022-11-28.
- How severe is CVE-2022-45939?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.