dbcve.org
Enterprise LinuxOperating system · Redhat

CVE-2023-2491

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
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.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A command injection vulnerability exists in Emacs org-mode's ob-latex.el file. The org-babel-execute:latex function does not properly sanitize input when processing specially crafted org-mode code, allowing arbitrary command execution. This is a regression from CVE-2023-28617 affecting RHEL 8.8 and 9.2.

MitigationUpgrade the emacs package to the patched version provided by Red Hat. Until then, avoid processing untrusted org-mode files with babel LaTeX execution enabled, or disable org-babel execution entirely.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 9.0
Enterprise Linux EusOperating system
Affected:= 8.8= 9.2
Enterprise Linux Server AusOperating system
Affected:= 8.8= 9.2
Enterprise Linux Server TusOperating system
Affected:= 8.8
EmacsApplication
Affected:= 26.1-9.el8= 27.2-8.el9

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Emacs version
    Run `emacs --version` or check package manager: `rpm -q emacs` on RHEL systems
    Affected if Version matches = 26.1-9.el8, = 27.2-8.el9, or falls within = 8.0/= 9.0 for RHEL base versions, or = 8.8/= 9.2 for EUS/Aus/Tus variants
  2. Verify org-babel is loaded
    Open Emacs and evaluate `(featurep 'ob)` or `(require 'ob)` to check if org-babel is available
    Affected if org-babel loads without error, indicating babel execution is enabled
  3. Confirm ob-latex module is present
    Check for the file ob-latex.el in the Emacs load path: `locate ob-latex.el` or evaluate `(featurep 'ob-latex)` in Emacs
    Affected if The ob-latex.el module exists and loads successfully
  4. Check if babel latex execution is enabled
    Evaluate `(org-babel-execute:latex "" nil)` in Emacs - if it runs without error, latex babel is active
    Affected if The latex babel function executes, meaning the vulnerable code path is available
  5. Identify processed org files with latex babel blocks
    Search for .org files containing '#+BEGIN_SRC latex' or '#+BEGIN_EXPORT latex' blocks using `grep -r "BEGIN_SRC latex" ~`
    Affected if Untrusted org files with latex babel blocks exist and could be processed

You are affected if you run a vulnerable Emacs version (26.1-9.el8 or 27.2-8.el9, or RHEL 8.8/9.2) AND org-babel latex execution is enabled and processes org files with latex source blocks.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade the emacs package to the patched version provided by Red Hat. Until then, avoid processing untrusted org-mode files with babel LaTeX execution enabled, or disable org-babel execution entirely.

Recommended fix High confidence

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.x: Update to emacs-26.1-9.el8 or later (check latest available via `dnf update emacs`); Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.x: Update to emacs-27.2-8.el9 or later (check latest available via `dnf update emacs`)

  1. 1. Identify the current Emacs package version installed: `rpm -qa | grep emacs`
  2. 2. Update the package repository metadata: `sudo dnf check-update`
  3. 3. Apply the security update for Emacs: `sudo dnf update emacs`
  4. 4. Verify the updated package version is no longer vulnerable
  5. 5. Restart any running Emacs instances to ensure the patched version is in use
Caveat Standard minor version updates typically have low risk; review Red Hat errata for any specific caveats

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Enterprise Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-2491 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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