How severe is CVE-2017-17513?

CVE-2017-17513 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-17513 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-17513?

CVE-2017-17513 affects Tug Tex Live. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-17513?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-17513 published?

CVE-2017-17513 was published on 2017-12-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-17513

CVE-2017-17513 is a high-severity vulnerability in Tug Tex Live with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-74.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (67th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-74
Affected product: Tug Tex Live
Published: 2017-12-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

TeX Live through 20170524 does not validate strings before launching the program specified by the BROWSER environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to conduct argument-injection attacks via a crafted URL, related to linked_scripts/context/stubs/unix/mtxrun, texmf-dist/scripts/context/stubs/mswin/mtxrun.lua, and texmf-dist/tex/luatex/lualibs/lualibs-os.lua.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-17513?: TeX Live through 20170524 does not validate strings before launching the program specified by the BROWSER environment variable, which might allow remote attackers to conduct argument-injection attacks via a crafted URL, related to linked_scripts/context/stubs/unix/mtxrun, texmf-dist/scripts/context/stubs/mswin/mtxrun.lua, and texmf-dist/tex/luatex/lualibs/lualibs-os.lua.
How severe is CVE-2017-17513?: CVE-2017-17513 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-17513 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-17513?: CVE-2017-17513 affects Tug Tex Live. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-17513?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-17513 published?: CVE-2017-17513 was published on 2017-12-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2017-17513

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:tug:tex_live:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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