vcdiff in Emacs 20.7 to 22.1.50, when used with SCCS, allows local users to overwrite…
Priority LOW 21CWE-59Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- — Not recorded in CVSS 2.0
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Partial · Partial · Partial
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 2.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
vcdiff in Emacs 20.7 to 22.1.50, when used with SCCS, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on temporary files.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.00396 34th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:20.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 20.7 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.1 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.2 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.3 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 21.4 | Vulnerable | GNU |
| cpe:2.3:a:gnu:sccs:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | all versions | Vulnerable | GNU |
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:20.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 20.7 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.1 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.2 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.3 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:emacs:21.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 21.4 Vulnerable ·GNU
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:sccs:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions all versions Vulnerable ·GNU
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2008-1694
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-7cqh-9wjj-hhf9
References
More GNU Emacs vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-36089 In elisp-mode.el in GNU Emacs before 30.1, a user who chooses to invoke… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2023-12576 emacsclient-mail.desktop in Emacs 28.1 through 28.2 is vulnerable to Emacs Lisp code… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2022-23951 GNU Emacs through 28.2 allows attackers to execute commands via shell metacharacters in… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2024-26287 In Emacs before 29.4, org-link-expand-abbrev in lisp/ol.el expands a %(...) link abbrev… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2007-05829 Stack-based buffer overflow in emacs allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of… CVSS 2.0HIGH 10.0
- TI-2017-10588 GNU Emacs before 25.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via email with… CVSS 3.0HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2008-1694 · CVE Program
- CVE-2008-1694 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7cqh-9wjj-hhf9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2008-1694 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences