CVE-2019-3838

Name: CVE-2019-3838
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2019-03-25T19:29:01.727+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 2.64%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-3838 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. It was found that the forceput operator could be extracted from the DefineResource method in ghostscript before 9.27. A specially crafted PostScript file could use this flaw in order to, for example, have access to the file system outside of the constrains imposed by -dSAFER.. EPSS estimates a 2.64% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

It was found that the forceput operator could be extracted from the DefineResource method in ghostscript before 9.27. A specially crafted PostScript file could use this flaw in order to, for example, have access to the file system outside of the constrains imposed by -dSAFER.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

2.64%

83.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-648

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Artifex	Ghostscript	< 9.27
Redhat	Ansible Tower	3.3
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	5.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	6.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Desktop	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server Aus	7.6
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server Eus	7.6
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Server Tus	7.6
Redhat	Enterprise Linux Workstation	7.0
Fedoraproject	Fedora	28
Fedoraproject	Fedora	29
Fedoraproject	Fedora	30
Opensuse	Leap	15.0
Opensuse	Leap	42.3
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00011.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00018.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152367/Slackware-Security-Advisory-ghostscript-Updates.htmlThird Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0652Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0971Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=700576Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-3838Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/04/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/A43SRQAEHQCKSEMIBINHUNIGHTDCZD7F/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ANBSCZABXQUEQWIKNWJ35IYX24M227EI/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SVERLGEU3OV6RNZ2SIBXREWD3BF5H23N/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Apr/28Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Apr/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-03Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4432Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00011.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00018.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152367/Slackware-Security-Advisory-ghostscript-Updates.htmlThird Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0652Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0971Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=700576Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-3838Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/04/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/A43SRQAEHQCKSEMIBINHUNIGHTDCZD7F/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ANBSCZABXQUEQWIKNWJ35IYX24M227EI/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SVERLGEU3OV6RNZ2SIBXREWD3BF5H23N/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Apr/28Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Apr/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202004-03Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4432Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Mar 25, 2019
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-3838?

How severe is CVE-2019-3838?

CVE-2019-3838 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 2.64% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-3838?

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-2019-3838?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST