VulnerabilityPublished 25 Jul 2023Updated 4 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-38745: pandoc

Affects pandocSource CVE Database V5

Mentioned vulnerabilities

CVE-2023-35936

Not known to be exploited : upgrade to 3.1.6 soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

High

Rated High by the CNA (mitre) · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 3.1.6

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 25 Jul 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade jgm/pandoc to 3.1.6.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHubjgm/pandoc`pkg:github/jgm/pandoc`Other threats	Affected <3.1.6	Fixed in 3.1.6

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AI-suggested

A fix is available in Pandoc version 3.1.6. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.6 or later to remediate this vulnerability. Until upgraded, avoid processing untrusted input with the --extract-media option or generating PDF output using vulnerable versions of Pandoc.

Description

Pandoc versions prior to 3.1.6 contain a vulnerability that allows arbitrary file write. This occurs when processing crafted image elements in input while generating files using the --extract-media option or when outputting to PDF format. The flaw stems from an incomplete fix for a previous vulnerability (CVE-2023-35936) related to double encoded path names. Exploitation requires passing untrusted input to Pandoc with these specific options enabled, and the impact depends on the privileges of the Pandoc process.

Impact

An attacker able to supply crafted input to Pandoc with the --extract-media option or PDF output enabled can cause arbitrary files to be created or overwritten. The severity of impact depends on the privileges of the Pandoc process; higher privileges increase potential damage. This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized file modification, which may affect system integrity or confidentiality.

Summary

CVE-2023-38745 is a vulnerability in Pandoc before version 3.1.6 that permits arbitrary file write. The issue arises from improper handling of crafted image elements in input when using the --extract-media option or generating PDF output. This vulnerability is a result of an incomplete remediation of CVE-2023-35936, specifically failing to properly handle double encoded path names. An attacker can create or overwrite files with the permissions of the Pandoc process, potentially leading to unauthorized file modification on affected systems that process untrusted input with these features.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 22:28 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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