CVE-2016-7979
Ghostscript before 9.21 might allow remote attackers to bypass the SAFER mode protection mechanism and consequently execute arbitrary code by leveraging type confusion in .initialize_dsc_parser.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (6.42%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
Ghostscript before 9.21 might allow remote attackers to bypass the SAFER mode protection mechanism and consequently execute arbitrary code by leveraging type confusion in .initialize_dsc_parser.
- CVSS 3.0
- 9.8 CRITICALCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 6.42% probability · 94th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-704
- Affected
- artifex/ghostscript
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS 6.4% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Bh=875a0095f37626a721c7ff57d606a0f95af03913
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0013.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0014.html
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3691
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/05/15Mailing List, Patch
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95337Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697190Issue Tracking, Patch
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-31
- http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Bh=875a0095f37626a721c7ff57d606a0f95af03913
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0013.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0014.html
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3691
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/05/15Mailing List, Patch
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95337Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697190Issue Tracking, Patch
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-31
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.