Vulnerability identifier: #VU31218

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 6.8 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-16585

CWE-ID: CWE-119

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Ghostscript
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: Artifex Software, Inc.

Description

The vulnerability allows a local non-authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code.

** DISPUTED ** An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 9.24. The .setdistillerkeys PostScript command is accepted even though it is not intended for use during document processing (e.g., after the startup phase). This leads to memory corruption, allowing remote attackers able to supply crafted PostScript to crash the interpreter or possibly have unspecified other impact. Note: A reputable source believes that the CVE is potentially a duplicate of CVE-2018-15910 as explained in Red Hat bugzilla (https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1626193).

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Ghostscript: 9.00 - 9.23

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External links
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commitdiff;h=1497d65039885a52b598b137dd8622bd4672f9be
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commitdiff;h=971472c83a345a16dac9f90f91258bb22dd77f22
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1626193
http://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/09/msg00015.html
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q3/182
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-12
http://usn.ubuntu.com/3768-1/
http://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4288

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.