CVE-2018-16509

Name: CVE-2018-16509
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2018-09-05T06:29:00.483+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

UnknownEPSS 92.50%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2018-16509 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 9.24. Incorrect "restoration of privilege" checking during handling of /invalidaccess exceptions could be used by attackers able to supply crafted PostScript to execute code using the "pipe" instruction.. EPSS estimates a 92.50% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 9.24. Incorrect "restoration of privilege" checking during handling of /invalidaccess exceptions could be used by attackers able to supply crafted PostScript to execute code using the "pipe" instruction.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

92.50%

99.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Artifex	Ghostscript	< 9.24
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	14.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Desktop	6.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Desktop	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server	6.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server Eus	7.5
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Workstation	6.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Workstation	7.0
Artifex	Gpl Ghostscript	< 9.26

References

http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=5516c614dc33662a2afdc377159f70218e67bde5
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=78911a01b67d590b4a91afac2e8417360b934156
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=79cccf641486a6595c43f1de1cd7ade696020a31
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=520bb0ea7519aa3e79db78aaf0589dae02103764
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q3/142Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105122Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2918Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3760Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=699654Issue Tracking, Permissions Required, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00015.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-12Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3768-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.artifex.com/news/ghostscript-security-resolved/Vendor Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4294Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45369/Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=5516c614dc33662a2afdc377159f70218e67bde5
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=78911a01b67d590b4a91afac2e8417360b934156
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=79cccf641486a6595c43f1de1cd7ade696020a31
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=520bb0ea7519aa3e79db78aaf0589dae02103764
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q3/142Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105122Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2918Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3760Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=699654Issue Tracking, Permissions Required, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00015.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-12Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3768-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.artifex.com/news/ghostscript-security-resolved/Vendor Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4294Third Party Advisory
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45369/Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry

Timeline

Published: Sep 5, 2018
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16509?

How severe is CVE-2018-16509?

Severity scoring for CVE-2018-16509 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 92.50% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2018-16509?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2018-16509?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST