Privilege Escalation in Ghostscript
Summary
CVE-2019-14811: 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. Affects ghostscript versions < 9.27-r3. Fixed in 9.27-r3. How to fix ↓
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Background
Ghostscript is an open-source interpreter for the PostScript language and the PDF file format. It is widely used for rendering and manipulating documents. However, versions prior to 9.50 are vulnerable to a privilege escalation flaw. This vulnerability allows specially crafted PostScript files to bypass security restrictions and gain unauthorized access to the file system or execute arbitrary commands.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability, identified as CVE-2019-14811, resides in the .pdf_hook_DSC_Creator procedure of Ghostscript. This procedure fails to properly secure privileged calls, enabling malicious scripts to bypass the -dSAFER restrictions. An attacker can exploit this flaw by crafting a malicious PostScript file and tricking a user into opening it. Once executed, the script can disable security protections and gain unauthorized access to sensitive files or execute arbitrary commands on the system.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
9.27-r3
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo apk add --upgrade ghostscriptTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
There is no known workaround for this vulnerability. It is crucial to update Ghostscript to the latest version to address the issue effectively.
Conclusion
The privilege escalation vulnerability in Ghostscript can have severe consequences, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access or execute arbitrary commands. It is crucial to update Ghostscript to version 9.50 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support and assistance in vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for ghostscript →
FAQ
Ghostscript is an open-source interpreter for the PostScript language and the PDF file format. It is commonly used for rendering and manipulating documents.
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass security restrictions and gain unauthorized access to the file system or execute arbitrary commands on the affected system.
To fix this vulnerability, update Ghostscript to version 9.50 or later.
No, there is no known workaround for this vulnerability. Updating to the latest version is the recommended solution.
You can find more information about this vulnerability in the provided source link.
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