RCE in GNU Emacs
CVE-2024-53920
In elisp-mode.el in GNU Emacs before 30.1, a user who chooses to invoke elisp-completion-at-point (for code completion) on untrusted Emacs Lisp source code can trigger unsafe Lisp macro expansion that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code. (This unsafe expansion also occurs if a user chooses to enable on-the-fly diagnosis that byte compiles untrusted Emacs Lisp source code.)
Vulnerability class: RCE (Remote Code Execution)
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: 0.006 (48.7th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 49th percentile — 48.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.006 · newest: 0.006 · change: 0.000
Affected products
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/tree/ChangeLog.4 (Release Notes)
- git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/tag/ (Product)
- eshelyaron.com/posts/2024-11-27-emacs-aritrary-code-execution-and-how-to-avoid-… (Third Party Advisory)
- yhetil.org/emacs/CAFXAjY5f4YfHAtZur1RAqH34UbYU56_t6t2Er0YEh1Sb7-W=hg@mail.gmail… (Mailing List)
- news.ycombinator.com/item (Issue Tracking)
- git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/tree/etc/NEWS (Product)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2024-53920?
- CVE-2024-53920 is a high-severity vulnerability in GNU Emacs, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2024-11-27.
- How severe is CVE-2024-53920?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2024-53920 known to be exploited?
- 2 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.