UNKNOWN READ Vulnerability in ghostscript

ghostscript Updated 02 Oct 2025

Summary

12/04/2023
MEDIUM
Yes i
Medium
Not published

OSV-2023-297: UNKNOWN READ in pdfi_read_cff_font. Affects ghostscript versions >= 7409743d98cab135da537bce11103a8416d77f60, < acaa21f68ede3ae8fca48136fa95ee32de6533b2. Fixed in acaa21f68ede3ae8fca48136fa95ee32de6533b2. 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 converting PDF files. The vulnerability affects the pdfi_read_cff_font function in Ghostscript, which is responsible for reading Compact Font Format (CFF) fonts. This vulnerability allows for an unknown read operation, which can lead to a crash or potential information disclosure.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability originates from the pdfi_read_cff_font function in Ghostscript. It can be triggered when processing a specially crafted PDF file containing a CFF font. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to crash the application or potentially access sensitive information from memory. The vulnerability has a medium severity rating.

How To Fix

Minimum fixed version

acaa21f68ede3ae8fca48136fa95ee32de6533b2

This is the first release that contains the fix.

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Workaround

There is no known workaround for this vulnerability at the moment.

Conclusion

The UNKNOWN READ vulnerability in Ghostscript can lead to crashes or potential information disclosure. It is recommended to update Ghostscript to the latest version to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.

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FAQ

Ghostscript is an open-source interpreter for the PostScript language and the PDF file format. It is commonly used for rendering and converting PDF files.

This vulnerability can lead to a crash or potential information disclosure in applications that use Ghostscript for PDF processing.

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious PDF file containing a specially crafted CFF font and tricking a user into opening it with a vulnerable version of Ghostscript.

Yes, updating Ghostscript to version acaa21f68ede3ae8fca48136fa95ee32de6533b2 or any subsequent version will fix this vulnerability.

No, there is currently no known workaround for this vulnerability.

Related vulnerabilities

Recent vulnerabilities recorded for ghostscript.

How To Fix

Minimum fixed version

acaa21f68ede3ae8fca48136fa95ee32de6533b2

This is the first release that contains the fix.

Tip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →

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