CVE-2022-2085
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to...
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
CVE-2022-2085- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-476
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
CVE-2022-2085- Weakness
- CWE-476
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-34375
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
EUVD-2022-34375- CVSS
- 0.0 None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-8932-gr4r-9hpv
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to...
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
GHSA-8932-gr4r-9hpv- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-476
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBELL-CVE-2022-2085
CVE-2022-2085 does not affect BellSoft software
- Record
BELL-CVE-2022-2085- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
CVE-2022-2085- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 4 moreShow less
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2022-2085
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2022-2085- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
OSVOESA-2022-1754
ghostscript security update
Ghostscript is an interpreter for PostScript™ and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Ghostscript consists of a PostScript interpreter layer, and a graphics library.
Security Fix(es):
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.(CVE-2022-2085)
- Record
OESA-2022-1754- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2022-2085
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability was found in Ghostscript, which occurs when it tries to render a large number of bits in memory. When allocating a buffer device, it relies on an init_device_procs defined for the device that uses it as a prototype that depends upon the number of bits per pixel. For bpp > 64, mem_x_device is used and does not have an init_device_procs defined. This flaw allows an attacker to parse a large number of bits (more than 64 bits per pixel), which triggers a NULL pointer dereference flaw, causing an application to crash.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2022-2085- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-5643-1 No score
ghostscript vulnerabilities
It was discovered that GhostScript incorrectly handled certain PDF files. If a user or automated system were tricked into opening a specially crafted PDF file, a remote attacker could use this issue to cause GhostScript to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. (CVE-2020-27792)
It was discovered that GhostScript incorrectly handled certain PDF files. If a user or automated system were tricked into opening a specially crafted PDF file, a remote attacker could use this issue to cause GhostScript to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. (CVE-2022-2085)
- Record
USN-5643-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
ghostscriptDebian:12 |
before 9.56.0~dfsg-1 | 9.56.0~dfsg-1 |
ghostscriptDebian:13 |
before 9.56.0~dfsg-1 | 9.56.0~dfsg-1 |
ghostscriptDebian:14 |
before 9.56.0~dfsg-1 | 9.56.0~dfsg-1 |
ghostscriptopenEuler:22.03-LTS |
before 9.55.0-2.oe2203 | 9.55.0-2.oe2203 |
ghostscriptUbuntu:22.04:LTS |
before 9.55.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu5.1, plus listed versions 9.54.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu29.55.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu49.55.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu5 |
9.55.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu5.1 |
ghostscriptUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
before 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.17, plus listed versions 9.21~dfsg+1-0ubuntu39.22~dfsg+1-0ubuntu19.22~dfsg+1-0ubuntu1.19.22~dfsg+1-0ubuntu1.29.25~dfsg+1-0ubuntu0.18.04.1 Show 16 moreShow less9.25~dfsg+1-0ubuntu0.18.04.29.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.19.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.39.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.49.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.59.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.69.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.79.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.89.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.99.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.109.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.119.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.129.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.139.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.149.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.159.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.16 |
9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.17 |
ghostscriptUbuntu:20.04:LTS |
before 9.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.6, plus listed versions 9.27~dfsg+0-0ubuntu39.27~dfsg+0-0ubuntu49.50~dfsg-5ubuntu19.50~dfsg-5ubuntu29.50~dfsg-5ubuntu3 Show 6 moreShow less9.50~dfsg-5ubuntu49.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.19.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.29.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.39.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.49.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.5 |
9.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.6 |
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-2022-2085 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in Artifex Ghostscript, published June 16, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.41%, the 72nd percentile. Fixed in ghostscript 9.56.0~dfsg-1.
References
bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=704945
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2095261
git.ghostscript.com?p=ghostpdl.git%3Bh=ae1061d948d88667bdf51d47d918c4684d0f67df
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ERSZX5LKDWAHZWJYBMP2E2UHOPUCDEGV
security.gentoo.org/glsa/202211-11
Show 11 moreShow less
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-2085
github.com/advisories/GHSA-8932-gr4r-9hpv
docs.bell-sw.com/security/cves/CVE-2022-2085
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2022-2085
openeuler.org/en/security/safety-bulletin/detail.html?id=openEuler-SA-2022-1754
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-2085
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-2085