CVE-2019-14811

Name: CVE-2019-14811
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-09-03T16:15:11.573+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 3.76%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-14811 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. A flaw was found in, ghostscript versions prior to 9.50, in the .pdf_hook_DSC_Creator procedure where it did not properly secure its privileged calls, enabling scripts to bypass `-dSAFER` restrictions. A specially crafted PostScript file could disable security protection and then have access to the file system, or execute arbitrary commands.. EPSS estimates a 3.76% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A flaw was found in, ghostscript versions prior to 9.50, in the .pdf_hook_DSC_Creator procedure where it did not properly secure its privileged calls, enabling scripts to bypass `-dSAFER` restrictions. A specially crafted PostScript file could disable security protection and then have access to the file system, or execute arbitrary commands.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

3.76%

88.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Artifex	Ghostscript	< 9.50
Redhat	Openshift Container Platform	3.11
Redhat	Openshift Container Platform	4.1
Fedoraproject	Fedora	29
Fedoraproject	Fedora	30
Fedoraproject	Fedora	31
Opensuse	Leap	15.0
Opensuse	Leap	15.1
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-09/msg00088.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-09/msg00090.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:2824Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2594Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14811Exploit, Issue Tracking, Mitigation, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/09/msg00007.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
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/LBUC4DBBJTRFNCR3IODBV4IXB2C2HI3V/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZP34D27RKYV2POJ3NJLSVCHUA5V5C45A/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/15Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-03Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4518Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-09/msg00088.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-09/msg00090.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:2824Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2594Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14811Exploit, Issue Tracking, Mitigation, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/09/msg00007.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
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/LBUC4DBBJTRFNCR3IODBV4IXB2C2HI3V/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ZP34D27RKYV2POJ3NJLSVCHUA5V5C45A/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/15Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-03Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4518Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Sep 3, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-14811?

How severe is CVE-2019-14811?

CVE-2019-14811 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 3.76% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-14811?

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-2019-14811?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST