Description
Pandoc is a Haskell library for converting from one markup format to another, and a command-line tool that uses this library. Starting in version 1.13 and prior to version 3.1.4, Pandoc is susceptible to an arbitrary file write vulnerability, which can be triggered by providing a specially crafted image element in the input when generating files using the `--extract-media` option or outputting to PDF format. This vulnerability allows an attacker to create or overwrite arbitrary files on the system ,depending on the privileges of the process running pandoc. It only affects systems that pass untrusted user input to pandoc and allow pandoc to be used to produce a PDF or with the `--extract-media` option.
The fix is to unescape the percent-encoding prior to checking that the resource is not above the working directory, and prior to extracting the extension. Some code for checking that the path is below the working directory was flawed in a similar way and has also been fixed. Note that the `--sandbox` option, which only affects IO done by readers and writers themselves, does not block this vulnerability. The vulnerability is patched in pandoc 3.1.4. As a workaround, audit the pandoc command and disallow PDF output and the `--extract-media` option.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| jgm | pandoc | >= 1.13, < 3.1.4 | — |
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 | haskell-pandoc | 3.0.1-2 | — |
| Debian 14 | pandoc | 2.17.1.1-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | haskell-pandoc | 3.0.1-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | pandoc | 2.17.1.1-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | pandoc | 2.17.1.1-2~deb12u1 | — |
| Debian 10 | pandoc | 2.2.1-3+deb10u1 | DLA-3507-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 25.10 | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | pandoc | No fix yet | — |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackage | pandoc | >= 1.13, < 3.1.4 | 3.1.4 | HSEC-2023-0014 |
Advisories 1
- DLA-3507-1 pandoc - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/security/advisories/GHSA-xj5q-fv23-575g
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/07/msg00029.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QI6RBP6ZKVC2OOCV6SU2FUHPMAXDDJFU/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/JGRJHU2FTSGTHHRTNDF7STEKLKKA25JN/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LYP3FKDS3KAYMQUZVVL73IUI4CWSKLKP/