CVE-2024-53920 Affecting emacs package, versions <1:29.3+1-1ubuntu2+esm3


Severity

Recommended
medium

Based on Ubuntu security rating.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.6% (47th percentile)

Do your applications use this vulnerable package?

In a few clicks we can analyze your entire application and see what components are vulnerable in your application, and suggest you quick fixes.

Test your applications
  • Snyk IDSNYK-UBUNTU2404-EMACS-8441956
  • published27 Jan 2026
  • disclosed27 Nov 2024

Introduced: 27 Nov 2024

CVE-2024-53920  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

Upgrade Ubuntu:24.04 emacs to version 1:29.3+1-1ubuntu2+esm3 or higher.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream emacs package and not the emacs package as distributed by Ubuntu. See How to fix? for Ubuntu:24.04 relevant fixed versions and status.

In elisp-mode.el in GNU Emacs before 30.1, 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.)

CVSS Base Scores

version 3.1