LuaTeX before 1.17.0 allows a document (compiled with the default settings) to make arbitrary network requests. This occurs because full access to the socket library is permitted by default, as stated in the documentation. This also affects TeX Live before 2023 r66984 and MiKTeX before 23.5.
LuaTeX before 1.17.0 allows execution of arbitrary shell commands when compiling a TeX file obtained from an untrusted source. This occurs because luatex-core.lua lets the original io.popen be accessed. This also affects TeX Live before 2023 r66984 and MiKTeX before 23.5.
latex2man in texlive-extra-utils 2011.20120322, and possibly other versions or packages, when used with the H or T option, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a temporary file.
mktexlsr revision 36855, and before revision 36626 as packaged in texlive allows local users to write to arbitrary files via a symlink attack. NOTE: this vulnerability exists due to the reversion of a fix of CVE-2015-5700.
A flaw was found in the pre-install script of texlive-base package derived from texlive package. This flaw allows unprivileged user to remove arbitrary files on the system.
~ rpm -qa texlive-base --scripts preinstall scriptlet (using /bin/sh): rm -rf /usr/share/texlive/texmf-var rm -rf /var/lib/texmf/
Following script in the preinstall scriplet allows attacker to remove arbitrary files on the systems for i in find /home//.texlive -type d -prune; do find $i -name .fmt -type f | xargs rm -f > /dev/null 2>&1 done ...
Attacker can create a malicious file in his $HOME directory that would trigger file removal and wait for the texlive-base package to be updated by administrator, as when package will be updated it would run preinstall scriplet which would then run malicious file in attacker $HOME directory as privileged user.
Reproducer and more information:
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/showbug.cgi?id=1099238
TeX Live allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by leveraging inclusion of mpost in shellescapecommands in the texmf.cnf config file.