CVE-2026-96269

A flaw was found in GNU Emacs. A remote attacker could achieve arbitrary code execution by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted file. This vulnerability arises because an untrusted value of read-symbol-shorthands affects the intern and unintern functions, allowing for code execution without specific user settings.

This vulnerability is rated as Important because successful exploitation can allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the target user simply by convincing them to open a specially prepared file. Although the impact is severe, exploitation requires user interaction to inspect or open untrusted content. Earlier platforms such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 do not include the vulnerable functionality and are not affected.

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

To mitigate this issue, users should avoid opening untrusted or suspicious files directly with GNU Emacs. Exercise caution when handling files from unknown sources or those with unexpected content, as opening them could lead to arbitrary code execution.