Stack-based buffer overflow in emacs allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly have unspe
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Plan (action score 41/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 3% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 87.3% of all records.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- Fixed version: xemacs21 (Debian:12) 21.4.21-4; emacs21 (Debian:5.0) 21.4a+1-5.1+lenny1; emacs22 (Debian:5.0) 22.1+1-2.1+lenny1.
Add it to your regular patch cycle. Upgrade to xemacs21 (Debian:12) 21.4.21-4; emacs21 (Debian:5.0) 21.4a+1-5.1+lenny1; emacs22 (Debian:5.0) 22.1+1-2.1+lenny1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Stack-based buffer overflow in emacs allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly have unspecified other impact via a large precision value in an integer format string specifier to the format function, as demonstrated via a certain "emacs -batch -eval" command line.
- Published
- Dec 7, 2007
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 3.0% · 87th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-119
Report tools
Action score
41
Plan
Add it to your regular patch cycle.
- CVSS
- 40 / 40 · 10.0 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 3.0%
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| gnu | emacs | cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- gnu emacsall versions
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | xemacs21 | before 21.4.21-4 | 21.4.21-4 |
| Debian:5.0 | emacs21 | before 21.4a+1-5.1+lenny1 | 21.4a+1-5.1+lenny1 |
| Debian:5.0 | emacs22 | before 22.1+1-2.1+lenny1 | 22.1+1-2.1+lenny1 |
Same product
gnu: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2024-39331In Emacs before 29.4, org-link-expand-abbrev in lisp/ol.el expands a %(...) link abbrev even when it specifies an unsafe function, such as s39Monitor
- CVE-2022-48337GNU Emacs through 28.2 allows attackers to execute commands via shell metacharacters in the name of a source-code file, because lib-src/etag39Monitor
- CVE-2012-0035Untrusted search path vulnerability in EDE in CEDET before 1.0.1, as used in GNU Emacs before 23.4 and other products, allows local users to38Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2003-1232Dec 31, 2003 · Emacs 21.2.1 does not prompt or warn the user before executing Lisp code in the local variables section of a text file, which allows user-as21Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2005-0100Feb 7, 2005 · Format string vulnerability in the movemail utility in (1) Emacs 20.x, 21.3, and possibly other versions, and (2) XEmacs 21.4 and earlier, a31Monitor
- Later →CVE-2008-1694Apr 22, 2008 · vcdiff in Emacs 20.7 to 22.1.50, when used with SCCS, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on temporary file18Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:emacs21 | 21.4a+1-5.1+lenny1 · Debian:5.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:emacs22 | 22.1+1-2.1+lenny1 · Debian:5.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:xemacs21 | 21.4.21-4 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- C · data can be read
- Integrity
- C · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- C · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- C
- Integrity impact
- C
- Availability impact
- C
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-119 · Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory BufferCVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Overflow BuffersCAPEC-100likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer ManipulationCAPEC-123likelihood: High · Very High
- Client-side Injection-induced Buffer OverflowCAPEC-14likelihood: Medium · High
- Filter Failure through Buffer OverflowCAPEC-24likelihood: High · High
- MIME ConversionCAPEC-42likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Binary Resource FileCAPEC-44likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer Overflow via Symbolic LinksCAPEC-45likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (14 more)Show less
- docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307562
- lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2008/Mar/msg00001.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2008-02/msg00003.html
- secunia.com/advisories/27965
- secunia.com/advisories/27984
- secunia.com/advisories/28838
- secunia.com/advisories/29420
- secunia.com/advisories/30109
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200712-03.xml
- www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2008:034
- www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2007_25_sr.html
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/0924/references
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/38904
- usn.ubuntu.com/607-1/
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.