CVE-2016-10243
TeX Live allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by leveraging inclusion of mpost in shell_escape_commands in the texmf.cnf config file.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (7.15%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
TeX Live allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by leveraging inclusion of mpost in shell_escape_commands in the texmf.cnf config file.
- CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 CRITICALCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 7.15% probability · 94th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-20
- Affected
- debian/debian linux · fedoraproject/fedora · tug/tex live
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 7.1% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3803Third Party Advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/03/05/1Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96593Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/B7CNJ4HKX7X6V7VMN3UCU7KPY6IX4XRB/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VL6PUKPWEXYIPIAZRIX5ZLQWCSALVLFP/
- https://scumjr.github.io/2016/11/28/pwning-coworkers-thanks-to-latex/Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201709-07
- https://www.tug.org/svn/texlive?view=revision&revision=42605Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3803Third Party Advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/03/05/1Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96593Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/B7CNJ4HKX7X6V7VMN3UCU7KPY6IX4XRB/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VL6PUKPWEXYIPIAZRIX5ZLQWCSALVLFP/
- https://scumjr.github.io/2016/11/28/pwning-coworkers-thanks-to-latex/Exploit, Technical Description, Third Party Advisory
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201709-07
- https://www.tug.org/svn/texlive?view=revision&revision=42605Patch, Vendor Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.