CVE-2023-35936: Arbitrary File Write Vulnerability in Pandoc

pandoc Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

22/08/2023

Disclosed on

CVE-2023-35936

CVE

Yes i

Fix available

Unrated

Severity

Not published

CVSS Score

CVE-2023-35936: Arbitrary file write is possible when using PDF output or --extract-media with untrusted input. Affects pandoc versions >= 1.13, < 3.1.4. Fixed in 3.1.4. How to fix ↓

Also tracked for

haskell-pandoc · Debian:13

The same CVE-2023-35936 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.

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Background

Pandoc is a document conversion tool that allows users to convert files from one markup format to another. It supports a wide range of formats, including HTML, Markdown, LaTeX, and PDF. Pandoc is commonly used in various applications and workflows to generate documents in different formats.

Vulnerability Detail

Pandoc is susceptible to an arbitrary file write vulnerability when using the PDF output or the --extract-media option with untrusted input. This vulnerability can be exploited by providing a specially crafted image element in the input. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create or overwrite arbitrary files on the system, depending on the privileges of the process running Pandoc. It is important to note that this vulnerability only affects systems that pass untrusted user input to Pandoc and allow the generation of PDF files or the use of the --extract-media option.

How To Fix

Minimum fixed version

3.1.4

This is the first release that contains the fix.

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Workaround

There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability. However, users can follow the recommended fix by updating Pandoc to version 3.1.4.

Conclusion

Pandoc is susceptible to an arbitrary file write vulnerability when using the PDF output or the --extract-media option with untrusted input. This vulnerability can be exploited to create or overwrite arbitrary files on the system. Users are advised to update their Pandoc installations to version 3.1.4 to mitigate the risk. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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