CVE-2016-8602
The .sethalftone5 function in psi/zht2.c in Ghostscript before 9.21 allows remote attackers to...
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
7.8
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.
- Record
CVE-2016-8602- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 6.8 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-704
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
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.
- Record
CVE-2016-8602- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-9449 No score
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.
- Record
EUVD-2016-9449- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-m22m-c5xc-v6jq
7.8
The .sethalftone5 function in psi/zht2.c in Ghostscript before 9.21 allows remote attackers to...
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.
- Record
GHSA-m22m-c5xc-v6jq- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-704
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBELL-CVE-2016-8602
7.8
CVE-2016-8602 does not affect BellSoft software
- Record
BELL-CVE-2016-8602- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.8
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.
- Record
CVE-2016-8602- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 9 moreShow less
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-8602
7.8
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.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-8602- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2017:0013
6.2
Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update
- Record
RHSA-2017:0013- CVSS 3.0
- 6.2 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2017:0014
6.2
Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update
- Record
RHSA-2017:0014- CVSS 3.0
- 6.2 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-8602
7.8
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.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-8602- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:2654-1 No score
Security update for ghostscript
This update for ghostscript fixes the following issues:
- CVE-2016-8602: Insufficient parameter check in .sethalftone5 (bsc#1004237).
- Record
SUSE-SU-2016:2654-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVSUSE-SU-2016:2723-1 No score
Security update for ghostscript-library
This update for ghostscript fixes the following issues:
- CVE-2016-8602: Insufficient parameter check in .sethalftone5 (bsc#1004237)
- Record
SUSE-SU-2016:2723-1- 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
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
ghostscriptDebian:12 |
before 9.19~dfsg-3.1 | 9.19~dfsg-3.1 |
ghostscriptDebian:13 |
before 9.19~dfsg-3.1 | 9.19~dfsg-3.1 |
ghostscriptDebian:14 |
before 9.19~dfsg-3.1 | 9.19~dfsg-3.1 |
ghostscriptDebian: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 |
ghostscriptDebian: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 |
ghostscriptMageia:5 |
before 9.20-1.mga5 | 9.20-1.mga5 |
gutenprintMageia:5 |
before 5.2.10-5.1.mga5 | 5.2.10-5.1.mga5 |
libspectreMageia:5 |
before 0.2.7-5.1.mga5 | 0.2.7-5.1.mga5 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-cupsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
Show 52 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-cupsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::computenode |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-cupsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-cupsRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation |
before 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 | 0:9.07-20.el7_3.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscriptRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscript-gtkRed Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation |
before 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 | 0:8.70-21.el6_8.1 |
ghostscriptSUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1 |
before 9.15-14.1 | 9.15-14.1 |
ghostscriptSUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP1 |
before 9.15-14.1 | 9.15-14.1 |
ghostscriptSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP1 |
before 9.15-14.1 | 9.15-14.1 |
ghostscriptSUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP1 |
before 9.15-14.1 | 9.15-14.1 |
ghostscript-librarySUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4 |
before 8.62-32.41.1 | 8.62-32.41.1 |
ghostscript-librarySUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 |
before 8.62-32.41.1 | 8.62-32.41.1 |
ghostscript-librarySUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 11 SP4 |
before 8.62-32.41.1 | 8.62-32.41.1 |
ghostscriptUbuntu: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 less9.10~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 |
ghostscriptUbuntu: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 |
ghostscriptopenSUSE:Tumbleweed |
before 9.20-2.1 | 9.20-2.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2016-8602 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) in Artifex Ghostscript, published October 12, 2016. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 3.21%, the 88th percentile. Fixed in ghostscript 9.19~dfsg-3.1.
References
debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3691
securityfocus.com/bid/95311
rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0013.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0014.html
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/11/7
git.ghostscript.com?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=f5c7555c303
Show 54 moreShow less
bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=697203
ghostscript.com/doc/9.21/History9.htm
security.gentoo.org/glsa/201702-31
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1383940
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/11/5
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8602
git.ghostscript.com?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commitdiff;h=f5c7555c303
github.com/advisories/GHSA-m22m-c5xc-v6jq
docs.bell-sw.com/security/cves/CVE-2016-8602
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-8602
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2017-0133.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=19542
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/05/15
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/IJ3D6O5XHLO4UJVJETVCWPIWWWV6LQUE
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0013
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1380327
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1380415
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1382300
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1382305
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2017/rhsa-2017_0013.json
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2013-5653
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-5653
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-5653
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7977
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7977
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7977
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7978
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7978
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7978
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7979
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7979
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7979
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-8602
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-8602
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0014
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2017/rhsa-2017_0014.json
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2016/suse-su-20162654-1
bugzilla.suse.com/1004237
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-8602
suse.com/support/update/announcement/2016/suse-su-20162723-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-8602
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-3148-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2013-5653
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7976
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7977
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7978
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7979
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2013-5653
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-3228
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7976
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7977
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7978
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7979