CVE-2020-16305: Buffer Overflow

Published Aug 13, 2020
·
Updated

A buffer overflow vulnerability in pcxwriterle() in contrib/japanese/gdev10v.c of Artifex Software GhostScript v9.50 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted PDF file. This is fixed in v9.51.

Affected Software

9 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/ghostscript<0:9.27-1.el8
0:9.27-1.el8
redhat/ghostscript<9.51
9.51
Artifex Ghostscript=9.50
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=20.04
debian/ghostscript
9.53.3~dfsg-7+deb11u79.53.3~dfsg-7+deb11u1110.0.0~dfsg-11+deb12u810.05.1~dfsg-1+deb13u110.06.0~dfsg-310.07.0~dfsg-2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/ghostscript to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:9.27-1.el8
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/ghostscript to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 9.53.3~dfsg-7+deb11u7Fixed in 9.53.3~dfsg-7+deb11u11Fixed in 10.0.0~dfsg-11+deb12u8Fixed in 10.05.1~dfsg-1+deb13u1Fixed in 10.06.0~dfsg-3Fixed in 10.07.0~dfsg-2
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/ghostscript to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 9.51
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade Artifex Software GhostScript to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 9.51

Event History

Aug 13, 2020
CVE Published
12:00 AM
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:09 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:09 AM
Description
Aug 19, 2020
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·03:34 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Feb 23, 2026
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·08:07 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·08:08 PM
Description
Mar 24, 2026
Data Sourced
via Debian·08:29 PM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-16305?

CVE-2020-16305 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in pcx_write_rle() in Artifex Software GhostScript v9.50.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-16305?

CVE-2020-16305 has a severity level of medium.

3

How does CVE-2020-16305 impact the affected software?

CVE-2020-16305 allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service via a crafted PDF file.

4

How can I fix CVE-2020-16305?

To fix CVE-2020-16305, update to Artifex Software GhostScript v9.51 or later.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2020-16305?

More information about CVE-2020-16305 can be found at the following references: [Bugzilla](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi/show_bug.cgi?id=1870260), [Ghostscript Bug](https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=701819), [Git Commit](https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commitdiff;h=2793769ff107d8d22dadd30c6e68cd781b569550).

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