RCE in GNU Emacs
CVE-2026-96442
A code execution flaw was found in Emacs, affecting versions prior to 31.2. The Flymake mode using language backends other than Lisp would execute arbitrary code from the edited file while performing syntax checking. Viewing or editing untrusted files using Emacs could lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running Emacs.
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: 0.002 (10.1th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 10th percentile — 10.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: +0.000
Affected products
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96442 (vdb-entry)
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi (issue-tracking)
- github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs/commit/135e6f63f08fee3d374fa1a5187bce941a2d3e3c
- github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs/commit/abc802ee2eb0b1663349ddf22a461f8e54a383fb
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/14/1
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:84591 (vendor-advisory)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:85245 (vendor-advisory)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:90800 (vendor-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-96442?
- CVE-2026-96442 is a high-severity vulnerability in GNU Emacs, classified under Code Injection. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-09-23.
- How severe is CVE-2026-96442?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.