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CVE-2016-7976

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code...

8.8 HighPublic exploitFix available

CVE-2016-7976 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.8) in Artifex Ghostscript, published October 6, 2016. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 23.5%, the 97th percentile. Fixed in ghostscript 9.19~dfsg-3.1.

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
Required

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

23.5%Up 17.7 points since Feb 4, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 8.8

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
CVE-2016-7976
CVSS 3.0
8.8 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.0
6.8 MediumAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Weakness
CWE-20
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
CVE-2016-7976
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-8824 No score

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
EUVD-2016-8824
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-9v96-pr6j-ghxc 8.8

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code...

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
GHSA-9v96-pr6j-ghxc
CVSS 3.0
8.8 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-20
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVBELL-CVE-2016-7976 8.8

CVE-2016-7976 does not affect BellSoft software

Record
BELL-CVE-2016-7976
CVSS 3.0
8.8 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 8.8

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
CVE-2016-7976
CVSS 3.0
8.8 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 5 moreShow less
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-7976 8.8

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-7976
CVSS 3.0
8.8 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-7976 8.8

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-7976
CVSS 3.0
8.8 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2017-0133 No score

Updated ghostscript packages fix security vulnerability

Various userparams in Ghostscript allow %pipe% in paths, allowing remote shell command execution (CVE-2016-7976).

The .libfile function in Ghostscript doesn't check PermitFileReading array, allowing remote file disclosure (CVE-2016-7977).

Reference leak in the .setdevice function in Ghostscript allows use-after-free and remote code execution (CVE-2016-7978).

Type confusion in the .initialize_dsc_parser function in Ghostscript allows remote code execution (CVE-2016-7979).

The .sethalftone5 function in psi/zht2.c in Ghostscript before 9.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted Postscript document that calls .sethalftone5 with an empty operand stack (CVE-2016-8602).

A heap based buffer overflow was found in the ghostscript jbig2_decode_gray_scale_image() function used to decode halftone segments in a JBIG2 image. A document (PostScript or PDF) with an embedded, specially crafted, jbig2 image could trigger a segmentation fault in ghostscript (CVE-2016-9601).

The pdf14_open function in base/gdevp14.c in Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (use-after-free and application crash) via a crafted file that is mishandled in the color management module (CVE-2016-10217).

The pdf14_pop_transparency_group function in base/gdevp14.c in the PDF Transparency module in Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted file (CVE-2016-10218).

The intersect function in base/gxfill.c in Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (divide-by-zero error and application crash) via a crafted file (CVE-2016-10219).

The gs_makewordimagedevice function in base/gsdevmem.c in Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted file that is mishandled in the PDF Transparency module (CVE-2016-10220).

The mem_get_bits_rectangle function in base/gdevmem.c in Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted file (CVE-2017-5951).

The mem_get_bits_rectangle function in Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via a crafted PostScript document (CVE-2017-7207).

Ghostscript through 2017-04-26 allows -dSAFER bypass and remote command execution via .rsdparams type confusion with a "/OutputFile (%pipe%" substring in a crafted .eps document that is an input to the gs program (CVE-2017-8291).

Record
MGASA-2017-0133
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10003-1 No score

ghostscript-9.20-2.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the ghostscript-9.20-2.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10003-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3148-1 No score

ghostscript vulnerabilities

Tavis Ormandy discovered multiple vulnerabilities in the way that Ghostscript processes certain Postscript files. If a user or automated system were tricked into opening a specially crafted file, an attacker could cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2016-7976, CVE-2016-7978, CVE-2016-7979, CVE-2016-8602)

Multiple vulnerabilities were discovered in Ghostscript related to information disclosure. If a user or automated system were tricked into opening a specially crafted file, an attacker could expose sensitive data. (CVE-2013-5653, CVE-2016-7977)

Record
USN-3148-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
ghostscript
Debian:12
before 9.19~dfsg-3.1
9.19~dfsg-3.1
ghostscript
Debian:13
before 9.19~dfsg-3.1
9.19~dfsg-3.1
ghostscript
Debian:14
before 9.19~dfsg-3.1
9.19~dfsg-3.1
ghostscript
Debian:7
before 9.05~dfsg-6.3+deb7u3, plus listed versions
9.05~dfsg-6.39.05~dfsg-6.3+deb7u19.05~dfsg-6.3+deb7u2
9.05~dfsg-6.3+deb7u3
ghostscript
Debian:8
before 9.06~dfsg-2+deb8u3, plus listed versions
9.06~dfsg-29.06~dfsg-2+deb8u19.06~dfsg-2+deb8u2
9.06~dfsg-2+deb8u3
ghostscript
Mageia:5
before 9.20-1.mga5
9.20-1.mga5
gutenprint
Mageia:5
before 5.2.10-5.1.mga5
5.2.10-5.1.mga5
libspectre
Mageia:5
before 0.2.7-5.1.mga5
0.2.7-5.1.mga5
ghostscript
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS
before 9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5, plus listed versions
9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu29.10~dfsg-0ubuntu39.10~dfsg-0ubuntu49.10~dfsg-0ubuntu59.10~dfsg-0ubuntu6
Show 8 moreShow less
9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu79.10~dfsg-0ubuntu89.10~dfsg-0ubuntu99.10~dfsg-0ubuntu109.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.19.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.29.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.39.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.4
9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5
ghostscript
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
before 9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2, plus listed versions
9.16~dfsg~0-0ubuntu39.16~dfsg~0-0ubuntu49.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu19.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2
9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2
ghostscript
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
before 9.20-2.1
9.20-2.1

Public exploits

Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.

Public exploits
SourceLinkDate
MetasploitImageMagick Delegate Arbitrary Command Execution2016-05-03

History

History
WhenChangedSources
2026-11-03aliasesEUVD
2026-11-02createdCVE List, GitHub Advisories, Metasploit, NVD, OSV

References

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