ghostscript: reference leak in .setdevice allows use-after-free and remote code execution
Published May 23, 2017
9.8
CRITICALCVSS 3.0
EPSS 5.53%
Description
Use-after-free vulnerability in Ghostscript 9.20 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to a reference leak in .setdevice.
Affected products
No data.
- 9.20
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
ghostscript-0:9.07-20.el7_3.1
Fixed · RHSA-2017:0013
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
ghostscript
Not affected
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
ghostscript
Not affected
Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise 2
ghostscript
Not affected
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | ghostscript-0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:0013 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | ghostscript | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | ghostscript | Not affected | n/a |
| Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise 2 | ghostscript | Not affected | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
No remediation recorded yet.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v3.1 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
1 other source (Red Hat) ▾
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2022–2026- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Percentile over time
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
- EPSS v5
Table of values (14 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 5.53% (0.05527) | 92.56th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 5.42% (0.05422) | 91.65th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 30, 2025 | 2.96% (0.02959) | 85.26th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 29, 2025 | 13.63% (0.13625) | 90.39th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 2.96% (0.02959) | 85.57th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 8.21% (0.08212) | 94.62th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| May 8, 2023 | 8.21% (0.08212) | 93.34th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| May 2, 2023 | 6.57% (0.06573) | 92.67th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Apr 1, 2023 | 6.46% (0.06457) | 92.57th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 6.11% (0.06105) | 92.36th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 6.91% (0.06908) | 92.19th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 6.91% (0.06908) | 91.45th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 16, 2022 | 6.91% (0.06908) | 79.86th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 6.73% (0.06729) | 78.90th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
References (10)
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0013.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHAT
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3691 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIAN
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/05/15 mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListPatchThird Party Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95336 vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7978 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697179 x_refsource_CONFIRMIssue TrackingPatch
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1382300 Issue Tracking
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7978
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-31 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOO
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7978
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0013.html | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHAT | |
| http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3691 | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIAN | |
| http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/05/15 | mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTMailing ListPatchThird Party Advisory | |
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95336 | vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7978 | Vendor Advisory | |
| https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697179 | x_refsource_CONFIRMIssue TrackingPatch | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1382300 | Issue Tracking | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7978 | ||
| https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-31 | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOO | |
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7978 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.