# CVE-2026-96269: GNU Emacs 28.1 through 31.1 allows arbitrary code execution upon opening a file, because an untrusted value of read-symbol-shorthands affects the intern and unintern functions. This affects the default configuration; no particular user settings are required to trigger it.

CVE-2026-96269 is fixed in 5 products on 1 platform, first by RHSA-2026:90887, released September 22, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-96269
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.8 (Important)
- EPSS: 0.0014
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Sep 22, 2026
- Weakness: Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere
- Vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-96269

## Description

GNU Emacs 28.1 through 31.1 allows arbitrary code execution upon opening a file, because an untrusted value of read-symbol-shorthands affects the intern and unintern functions. This affects the default configuration; no particular user settings are required to trigger it.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | emacs Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 1:30.1+1-6+deb13u1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-96269](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-96269.md) | Sep 23, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs Debian 14 | 1:30.2+1-11 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-96269](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-96269.md) | Sep 23, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs RHEL 10 | 29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [RHSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/rhsa-2026-90887.md) | Sep 22, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs almalinux 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ALSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs ol 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ELSA-2026-90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/elsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs rocky 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [RLSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/rlsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-common almalinux 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ALSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-common ol 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ELSA-2026-90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/elsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-filesystem almalinux 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ALSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-filesystem ol 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ELSA-2026-90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/elsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-lucid almalinux 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ALSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-lucid ol 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ELSA-2026-90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/elsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-nw almalinux 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ALSA-2026:90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |
| Linux | emacs-nw ol 10 | 1:29.4-14.el10_2.4 | [ELSA-2026-90887](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/elsa-2026-90887.md) | Nov 7, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T01:18:40Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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