CVE-2020-27792
CVE-2020-27792 is a high-severity vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.1. 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-119.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.1)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (35th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-119
- Affected product: Artifex Ghostscript
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
A heap-based buffer overwrite vulnerability was found in GhostScript's lp8000_print_page() function in the gdevlp8k.c file. This flaw allows an attacker to trick a user into opening a crafted PDF file, triggering the heap buffer overflow that could lead to memory corruption or a denial of service.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-27792?
- A heap-based buffer overwrite vulnerability was found in GhostScript's lp8000_print_page() function in the gdevlp8k.c file. This flaw allows an attacker to trick a user into opening a crafted PDF file, triggering the heap buffer overflow that could lead to memory corruption or a denial of service.
- How severe is CVE-2020-27792?
- CVE-2020-27792 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2020-27792 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (35th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2020-27792?
- CVE-2020-27792 primarily affects Artifex Ghostscript. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-27792?
- 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-2020-27792 published?
- CVE-2020-27792 was published on 2022-08-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2025:4362
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2020-27792
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2247179
- https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commitdiff;h=4f6bc662909ab79e8fbe9822afb36e8a0eafc2b7
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=701844
- https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=4f6bc662909ab79e8fbe9822afb36e8a0eafc2b7
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/09/msg00005.html
Affected products (2)
- cpe:2.3:a:artifex:ghostscript:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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…
All CVEs affecting Artifex Ghostscript →
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- CVE-2022-27625 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
- CVE-2022-27624 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
- CVE-2020-11896 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Treck TCP/IP stack before 6.0.1.66 allows Remote Code Execution, related to IPv4 tunneling.