Arbitrary file write via percent-decoding path traversal
Published Jul 5, 2023 · Updated Feb 13, 2025
Path traversal in Pandoc 1.13 through 3.1.3 allows local users to create or overwrite arbitrary files via a crafted image element. Media extraction derives an extension from the still-percent-encoded resource, then filesystem decoding turns encoded separators into traversal outside the target directory. Exploitation requires untrusted input to be processed for PDF output or with --extract-media, and writes with the Pandoc process's privileges.
Summary
What happened
Path traversal in Pandoc 1.13 through 3.1.3 allows local users to create or overwrite arbitrary files via a crafted image element. Media extraction derives an extension from the still-percent-encoded resource, then filesystem decoding turns encoded separators into traversal outside the target directory. Exploitation requires untrusted input to be processed for PDF output or with --extract-media, and writes with the Pandoc process's privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-35936
- Published
- Jul 5, 2023
- Updated
- Feb 13, 2025
- Vendor
- John MacFarlane
- Product
- Pandoc
- Classifications
- CWE-20, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 5, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 13, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=>= 1.13, < 3.1.4
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
- Upstream crafted-image proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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