Out-of-Bounds Read in Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS (CVE-2017-9620)
Summary
Vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS (CVE-2017-9620). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
The xps_select_font_encoding function in xps/xpsfont.c in Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS 9.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted document, related to the xps_encode_font_char_imp function.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2017-9620 has been found in Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 7.8/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS CVE-2017-9620" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2017-9620 (Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS) — CWE-125 / CVSS v3 7.8
Attack vector: local / unauthenticated
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
Out-of-bounds read (CWE-125) exists in Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
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1Identify exposure identify
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
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2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Fix status by distribution
Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE
- Debian DEBIAN-CVE-2017-9620 ghostscript Fixed in: 9.22~dfsg-1
References
- advisory securityfocus.com
- advisory security.gentoo.org
- exploit bugs.ghostscript.com
- web git.ghostscript.com