CVE-2019-6116
CVE-2019-6116 is a high-severity vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 44% places it in the 99th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
- CVSS v2: 6.8
- EPSS exploit prediction: 44% (99th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Affected product: Artifex Ghostscript
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
In Artifex Ghostscript through 9.26, ephemeral or transient procedures can allow access to system operators, leading to remote code execution.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2019-6116?
- In Artifex Ghostscript through 9.26, ephemeral or transient procedures can allow access to system operators, leading to remote code execution.
- How severe is CVE-2019-6116?
- CVE-2019-6116 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2019-6116 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 44% (99th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2019-6116?
- CVE-2019-6116 primarily affects Artifex Ghostscript. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2019-6116?
- 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-2019-6116 published?
- CVE-2019-6116 was published on 2019-03-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-01/msg00047.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-01/msg00048.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/151307/Ghostscript-Pseudo-Operator-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152367/Slackware-Security-Advisory-ghostscript-Updates.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/01/23/5
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/03/21/1
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106700
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0327
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0229
- https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1729
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=700317
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/02/msg00016.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6AATIHU32MYKUOXQDJQU4X4DDVL7NAY3/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7N6T5L3SSJX2AVUPHP7GCPATFWUPKZT2/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MWVAVCDXBLPLJMVGNSKGGDTBEOHCJBKK/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/XVWXVKG72IGEJYHLWE6H3CGALHGFSGGY/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZP34D27RKYV2POJ3NJLSVCHUA5V5C45A/
- https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Apr/4
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-03
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3866-1/
- https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4372
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46242/
Affected products (18)
- cpe:2.3:a:artifex:ghostscript:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:28:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:29:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_aus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_eus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server_tus:7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Artifex Ghostscript
- CVE-2021-3781 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): A trivial sandbox (enabled with the `-dSAFER` option) escape flaw was found in the ghostscript interpreter by injecting…
- CVE-2025-27837 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.0. Access to arbitrary files can occur through a truncated…
- CVE-2025-27836 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.0. The BJ10V device has a Print buffer overflow in…
- CVE-2025-27832 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.0. The NPDL device has a Compression buffer overflow for…
- CVE-2025-27831 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.0. The DOCXWRITE TXTWRITE device has a text buffer overflow…
- CVE-2020-36773 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Artifex Ghostscript before 9.53.0 has an out-of-bounds write and use-after-free in devices/vector/gdevtxtw.c (for…