CVE-2020-16306

Name: CVE-2020-16306
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-08-13T03:15:14.163+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 1.77%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-16306 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. A null pointer dereference vulnerability in devices/gdevtsep.c of Artifex Software GhostScript v9.50 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted postscript file. This is fixed in v9.51.. EPSS estimates a 1.77% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in devices/gdevtsep.c of Artifex Software GhostScript v9.50 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted postscript file. This is fixed in v9.51.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.77%

75.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-476

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Artifex	Ghostscript	9.50
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	20.04

References

http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=aadb53eb834b3def3ef68d78865ff87a68901804
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=701821Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/08/msg00032.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202008-20Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4469-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4748Third Party Advisory
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=aadb53eb834b3def3ef68d78865ff87a68901804
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=701821Exploit, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/08/msg00032.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202008-20Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4469-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4748Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Aug 13, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-16306?

How severe is CVE-2020-16306?

CVE-2020-16306 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.77% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-16306?

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-2020-16306?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST