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Amazon Linux 2023 : emacs, emacs-common, emacs-devel (ALAS2023-2025-849)

critical Nessus Plugin ID 216800

Synopsis

The remote Amazon Linux 2023 host is missing a security update.

Description

It is, therefore, affected by a vulnerability as referenced in the ALAS2023-2025-849 advisory.

 In elisp-mode.el in GNU Emacs through 30.0.92, a user who chooses to invoke elisp-completion-at-point (for code completion) on untrusted Emacs Lisp source code can trigger unsafe Lisp macro expansion that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code. (This unsafe expansion also occurs if a user chooses to enable on- the-fly diagnosis that byte compiles untrusted Emacs Lisp source code.) (CVE-2024-53920)

Tenable has extracted the preceding description block directly from the tested product security advisory.

Note that Nessus has not tested for this issue but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

Solution

Run 'dnf update emacs --releasever 2023.6.20250218' to update your system.

See Also

https://alas.aws.amazon.com/AL2023/ALAS-2025-849.html

https://alas.aws.amazon.com/cve/html/CVE-2024-53920.html

https://alas.aws.amazon.com/faqs.html

Plugin Details

Severity: Critical

ID: 216800

File Name: al2023_ALAS2023-2025-849.nasl

Version: 1.1

Type: local

Agent: unix

Published: 2/26/2025

Updated: 2/26/2025

Supported Sensors: Agentless Assessment, Continuous Assessment, Frictionless Assessment Agent, Frictionless Assessment AWS, Nessus Agent, Nessus

Risk Information

VPR

Risk Factor: Medium

Score: 5.9

CVSS v2

Risk Factor: High

Base Score: 7.2

Temporal Score: 5.3

Vector: CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS Score Source: CVE-2024-53920

CVSS v3

Risk Factor: Critical

Base Score: 9.8

Temporal Score: 8.5

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Temporal Vector: CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Vulnerability Information

CPE: p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-common-debuginfo, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-debugsource, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-debuginfo, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-filesystem, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-devel, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-common, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-terminal, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-lucid-debuginfo, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-nox-debuginfo, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-nox, p-cpe:/a:amazon:linux:emacs-lucid, cpe:/o:amazon:linux:2023

Required KB Items: Host/local_checks_enabled, Host/AmazonLinux/release, Host/AmazonLinux/rpm-list

Exploit Ease: No known exploits are available

Patch Publication Date: 2/12/2025

Vulnerability Publication Date: 11/27/2024

Reference Information

CVE: CVE-2024-53920