How severe is CVE-2021-45949?

CVE-2021-45949 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-45949 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (69th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-45949?

CVE-2021-45949 primarily affects Artifex Ghostscript. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-45949?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-45949 published?

CVE-2021-45949 was published on 2022-01-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-45949

CVE-2021-45949 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (69th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Artifex Ghostscript
Published: 2022-01-01
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Ghostscript GhostPDL 9.50 through 9.54.0 has a heap-based buffer overflow in sampled_data_finish (called from sampled_data_continue and interp).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-45949?: Ghostscript GhostPDL 9.50 through 9.54.0 has a heap-based buffer overflow in sampled_data_finish (called from sampled_data_continue and interp).
How severe is CVE-2021-45949?: CVE-2021-45949 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-45949 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (69th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-45949?: CVE-2021-45949 primarily affects Artifex Ghostscript. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-45949?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-45949 published?: CVE-2021-45949 was published on 2022-01-01 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:artifex:ghostscript:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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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