CVE-2016-7978: artifex ghostscript Use After Free
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2016-7978 is a critical (CVSS 9.8) Use After Free vulnerability in artifex ghostscript. EPSS estimates a 5.53% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 92.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
Severe, CVSS 9.8 (NVD); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources; EPSS 6% (FIRST, 03-11-2026)
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 7 · Related 3Timeline
- 23-05-2017PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 06-08-2024Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
Use-after-free vulnerability in Ghostscript 9.20 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to a reference leak in .setdevice.
CVSS metrics
4 scores · 3 sources · 2 versions- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated9.8CriticalCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated9.8CriticalCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
5.53%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
93%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
No change 0.00 pp
From 5.53% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEVNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
ENISA CNWNot in the ENISA CNW catalog.
CIRCLNot in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root causeAffected systems
Known conditions: network-reachable, no authentication, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Artifex1 product
- ghostscript9.20
Debian1 product
- ghostscript< 9.19~dfsg-3.1
Ubuntu1 product
- ghostscript< 9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5 | < 9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2
3 vendors · 3 products
References
11 links
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/10/05/15Mailing ListX Refsource MLISTPatchThird Party Advisory