hsec-2023-0014

Vulnerability from osv_haskell

Published

2025-11-14 14:45

Modified

2025-11-14 14:45

Summary

Arbitrary file write is possible when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input

Details

Arbitrary file write is possible when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input

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).

This vulnerability only affects systems that (a) pass untrusted user input to pandoc and (b) allow pandoc to be used to produce a PDF or with the --extract-media option.

The vulnerability is patched in pandoc 3.1.4.

References

URL

Type

https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/security/advisories…

REPORT

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "human_link": "https://github.com/haskell/security-advisories/tree/main/advisories/published/2023/HSEC-2023-0014.md",
        "osv": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/security-advisories/refs/heads/generated/osv-export/2023/HSEC-2023-0014.json"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Hackage",
        "name": "pandoc"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "1.13"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "3.1.4"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ],
      "severity": [
        {
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L",
          "type": "CVSS_V3"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [
    "CVE-2023-35936",
    "GHSA-xj5q-fv23-575g"
  ],
  "database_specific": {
    "home": "https://github.com/haskell/security-advisories",
    "osvs": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/security-advisories/refs/heads/generated/osv-export",
    "repository": "https://github.com/haskell/security-advisories"
  },
  "details": "# Arbitrary file write is possible when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input\n\nPandoc 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).\n\nThis vulnerability only affects systems that (a) pass untrusted user input to pandoc and (b) allow pandoc to be used to produce a PDF or with the --extract-media option.\n\nThe vulnerability is patched in pandoc 3.1.4.\n",
  "id": "HSEC-2023-0014",
  "modified": "2025-11-14T14:45:34Z",
  "published": "2025-11-14T14:45:34Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "REPORT",
      "url": "https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/security/advisories/GHSA-xj5q-fv23-575g"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.5.0",
  "summary": "Arbitrary file write is possible when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input"
}

CVE-2023-35936 (GCVE-0-2023-35936)

Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2023-07-05 20:37 – Updated: 2025-02-13 16:55

Title

Arbitrary file write is possible in Pandoc when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input

Summary

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.

Severity

6 (Medium)


                        
                          CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L

CWE

CWE-20 - Improper Input Validation

Assigner

GitHub_M mitre root

References

5 references

URL	Tags
https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/security/advisories…	x_refsource_CONFIRM
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023…
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/pac…
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/pac…
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/pac…

Impacted products

1 product

Vendor	Product	Version
jgm	pandoc	Affected: >= 1.13, < 3.1.4

Show details on NVD website

JSON

To clipboard

{
  "containers": {
    "adp": [
      {
        "providerMetadata": {
          "dateUpdated": "2024-08-02T16:37:40.588Z",
          "orgId": "af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108",
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            "url": "https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/security/advisories/GHSA-xj5q-fv23-575g"
          },
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            "tags": [
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            "url": "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/07/msg00029.html"
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            ],
            "url": "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QI6RBP6ZKVC2OOCV6SU2FUHPMAXDDJFU/"
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        ],
        "title": "CVE Program Container"
      }
    ],
    "cna": {
      "affected": [
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          "product": "pandoc",
          "vendor": "jgm",
          "versions": [
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              "version": "\u003e= 1.13, \u003c 3.1.4"
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "descriptions": [
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          "lang": "en",
          "value": "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.\n\nThe 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."
        }
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "cvssV3_1": {
            "attackComplexity": "HIGH",
            "attackVector": "LOCAL",
            "availabilityImpact": "LOW",
            "baseScore": 6,
            "baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
            "confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
            "integrityImpact": "HIGH",
            "privilegesRequired": "LOW",
            "scope": "CHANGED",
            "userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
            "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L",
            "version": "3.1"
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        },
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      "source": {
        "advisory": "GHSA-xj5q-fv23-575g",
        "discovery": "UNKNOWN"
      },
      "title": "Arbitrary file write is possible in Pandoc when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input"
    }
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    "assignerShortName": "GitHub_M",
    "cveId": "CVE-2023-35936",
    "datePublished": "2023-07-05T20:37:56.394Z",
    "dateReserved": "2023-06-20T14:02:45.594Z",
    "dateUpdated": "2025-02-13T16:55:56.804Z",
    "state": "PUBLISHED"
  },
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  "dataVersion": "5.1"
}

Sightings

Author	Source	Type	Date	Other

Nomenclature

Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.

Detection rules are retrieved from Rulezet.

The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base model, served locally by ML-Gateway. They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.

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Vulnerabilities whose description is nearest to this one in the vector space of the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-biencoder model. This is a similarity search over the bi-encoder space (plain cosine), not a classification, and it has no measured accuracy.

Action not permitted

hsec-2023-0014

Vulnerability from osv_haskell

Arbitrary file write is possible when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input

CVE-2023-35936 (GCVE-0-2023-35936)

Tags

Sightings

Nomenclature

Related by attack behaviour