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NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

CVE-2023-2491: A flaw was found in the Emacs text editor.

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)

  • 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: 0.46% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: emacs (AlmaLinux:8) 1:26.1-10.el8_8.2; emacs-common (AlmaLinux:8) 1:26.1-10.el8_8.2; emacs-filesystem (AlmaLinux:8) 1:26.1-10.el8_8.2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to emacs (AlmaLinux:8) 1:26.1-10.el8_8.2; emacs-common (AlmaLinux:8) 1:26.1-10.el8_8.2; emacs-filesystem (AlmaLinux:8) 1:26.1-10.el8_8.2 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

A flaw was found in the Emacs text editor. Processing a specially crafted org-mode code with the "org-babel-execute:latex" function in ob-latex.el can result in arbitrary command execution. This CVE exists because of a CVE-2023-28617 security regression for the emacs package in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 17, 2023
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.4% · 39th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

31

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.4%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

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.

Follow CVE-2023-2491

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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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.

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Affected 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.

VendorProduct
gnuemacs
redhatenterprise linux
redhatenterprise linux eus
redhatenterprise linux server aus
redhatenterprise linux server tus

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • gnu emacs26.1-9.el8
  • gnu emacs27.2-8.el9
  • redhat enterprise linux8.0
  • redhat enterprise linux9.0
  • redhat enterprise linux eus8.8
  • redhat enterprise linux eus9.2
  • redhat enterprise linux server aus8.8
  • redhat enterprise linux server aus9.2
  • redhat enterprise linux server tus8.8

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • n/a emacs

    • Affects emacs v26.1-9.el8 and emacs v27.2-8.el9, Fixed in emacs v26.1-10.el8_8.2 and emacs v27.2-8.el9_2.1affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
AlmaLinux:8emacsbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
AlmaLinux:8emacs-commonbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
AlmaLinux:8emacs-filesystembefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
AlmaLinux:8emacs-lucidbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
AlmaLinux:8emacs-noxbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
AlmaLinux:8emacs-terminalbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
AlmaLinux:9emacsbefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1
AlmaLinux:9emacs-commonbefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1
AlmaLinux:9emacs-filesystembefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1
AlmaLinux:9emacs-lucidbefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1
AlmaLinux:9emacs-noxbefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacsbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-commonbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-common-debuginfobefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-debuginfobefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-debugsourcebefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-lucidbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-lucid-debuginfobefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-noxbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-nox-debuginfobefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamemacs-terminalbefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosemacs-filesystembefore 1:26.1-10.el8_8.21:26.1-10.el8_8.2
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamemacsbefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamemacs-commonbefore 1:27.2-8.el9_2.11:27.2-8.el9_2.1

+8

Same product

gnu: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2007-6109Stack-based buffer overflow in emacs allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly have unspe
    41Plan
  • 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 s
    39Monitor
  • 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/etag
    39Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-27985Mar 9, 2023 · emacsclient-mail.desktop in Emacs 28.1 through 28.2 is vulnerable to shell command injections through a crafted mailto: URI.
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-27986Mar 9, 2023 · emacsclient-mail.desktop in Emacs 28.1 through 28.2 is vulnerable to Emacs Lisp code injections through a crafted mailto: URI with unescaped
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2024-30202Mar 25, 2024 · In Emacs before 29.3, arbitrary Lisp code is evaluated as part of turning on Org mode.
    31Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
almalinux:emacs1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · AlmaLinux:9Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:emacs-common1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · AlmaLinux:9Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:emacs-filesystem1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · AlmaLinux:9Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:emacs-lucid1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · AlmaLinux:9Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:emacs-nox1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · AlmaLinux:9Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:emacs-terminal1:26.1-10.el8_8.2 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-common1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-common-debuginfo1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-debuginfo1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-debugsource1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-filesystem1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-lucid1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-lucid-debuginfo1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-nox1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-nox-debuginfo1:27.2-8.el9_2.1 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:emacs-terminal1:26.1-10.el8_8.2 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage 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.

EPSS, last 120 days

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 researchers

Finders, 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

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-77 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records