CVE-2023-43115
CVE-2023-43115 is a high-severity vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript 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.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Affected product: Artifex Ghostscript
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
In Artifex Ghostscript through 10.01.2, gdevijs.c in GhostPDL can lead to remote code execution via crafted PostScript documents because they can switch to the IJS device, or change the IjsServer parameter, after SAFER has been activated. NOTE: it is a documented risk that the IJS server can be specified on a gs command line (the IJS device inherently must execute a command to start the IJS server).
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2023-43115?
- In Artifex Ghostscript through 10.01.2, gdevijs.c in GhostPDL can lead to remote code execution via crafted PostScript documents because they can switch to the IJS device, or change the IjsServer parameter, after SAFER has been activated. NOTE: it is a documented risk that the IJS server can be specified on a gs command line (the IJS device inherently must execute a command to start the IJS server).
- How severe is CVE-2023-43115?
- CVE-2023-43115 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-2023-43115 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2023-43115?
- CVE-2023-43115 primarily affects Artifex Ghostscript. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-43115?
- 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-2023-43115 published?
- CVE-2023-43115 was published on 2023-09-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=707051
- https://ghostscript.com/
- https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=e59216049cac290fb437a04c4f41ea46826cfba5
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/IK3UXJ5HKMPAL5EQELJAWSRPA2AUOJJO/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PG5AQV7JOL5TAU76FWPJCMSKO5DREKV5/
Affected products (3)
- cpe:2.3:a:artifex:ghostscript:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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…