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. It is fixed in 29.0.90
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | emacs | 1:28.2+1-13 | — |
| Debian 13 | emacs | 1:28.2+1-13 | — |
| Debian 12 | emacs | 1:28.2+1-13 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | xemacs21 +1 | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | emacs | 28.2-3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:12777-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | emacs | 28.2-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | emacs | 28.2-r2 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | emacs +6 | 1:28.2-3.amzn2023.0.4 | ALAS2023-2023-134 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | emacs | 28.2-4 | — |
Advisories 4
- WID-SEC-2023-2917 Xerox FreeFlow Print Server: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Jun 30, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:12777-1 emacs-28.2-3.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ALAS2023-2023-134 Important: emacs security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Mar 22, 2023
- WID-SEC-2023-0608 GNU Emacs: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Codeausführung BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Mar 8, 2023
References
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/03/08/2
- http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/commit/?h=emacs-29&id=d32091199ae5de590a83f1542a01d75fba000467
- https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=60204
- [oss-security] 20230309 Re: Shell command and Emacs Lisp code injection in emacsclient-mail.desktop mailing-list
- https://www.gabriel.urdhr.fr/2023/06/08/emacsclient-mail-shell-elisp-injections/