CVE-2023-27985
emacsclient-mail.desktop in Emacs 28.1 through 28.2 is vulnerable to shell command injections through a crafted mailto: URI. This is related to lack of compliance with the Desktop Entry Specification.
02 Description
emacsclient-mail.desktop in Emacs 28.1 through 28.2 is vulnerable to shell command injections through a crafted mailto: URI. This is related to lack of compliance with the Desktop Entry Specification.
03 Exploitation and scoring
- Exploitation
- Assessed, none found. CISA's assessment recorded neither public exploit code nor evidence of exploitation when it was made.
- SSVC decision
- ExploitationnoneCISA recorded no public exploit code and no evidence of exploitation.
- AutomatablenoAt least one step from reconnaissance to exploitation cannot be reliably automated.
- Technical ImpacttotalSuccessful exploitation gives total control of the vulnerable component.
- EPSS probability
- 1.07% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
- EPSS percentile
- Equal to or higher than the score of 64.9% of scored records. A rank, not a probability.
- NVD base score
- 7.8 (CVSS v3.x), scored by the NVD independently of the CNA.
- NVD CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- NVD analysis status
- Modified. NVD last modified this record on 2026-06-17.
- Red Hat severity
- Important. Red Hat's rating for its own products, not a CVSS rating.
Exploit-prediction scores from FIRST. Independent scoring and analysis status from the NVD. Vendor severity from Red Hat. Exploitation assessment and catalog membership from CISA.
04 Metadata
- Published
- 2023-03-09 00:00Z3 YR AGO
- Last updated
- 2025-03-05 16:57Z1 YR AGO
- Reserved
- 2023-03-09
- Assigning CNA
- mitre
- Record state
- PUBLISHED
- Severity
- High (CVSS 7.8)
- CNA CVSS vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Weaknesses
- Data version
- 5.1
- Document digest
- 08f9e9eb3a8ac636ad557fcec328f93f20b906075d92b1b2bca09bcddf876eb7
05 Affected products
06 References
- www.openwall.comhttps://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/03/08/2
- git.savannah.gnu.orghttp://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?h=emacs-29&id=d32091199ae5de590a83f1542a01d75fba000467
- debbugs.gnu.orghttps://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=60204
- www.openwall.com[oss-security] 20230309 Re: Shell command and Emacs Lisp code injection in emacsclient-mail.desktophttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/03/09/1
- www.gabriel.urdhr.frhttps://www.gabriel.urdhr.fr/2023/06/08/emacsclient-mail-shell-elisp-injections/
07 Fixed in
Debian 12
- emacs Fixed in 1:28.2+1-13
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Debian 13
- emacs Fixed in 1:28.2+1-13
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Debian 14
- emacs Fixed in 1:28.2+1-13
Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 25.10
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
Ubuntu 26.10
- xemacs21 No fix yet
- xemacs21-packages No fix yet
Source: Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.
A release or ecosystem missing from this list has no record here. It may be unaffected or not covered by the source. Source notices and licences.