CVE-2023-38559: artifex ghostscript Out-of-bounds Read
CVSS: 5.5v3.1MediumModified
AliasesSUSE-SU-2023:3438-1SUSE-SU-2023:3439-1UBUNTU-CVE-2023-38559USN-6297-1DEBIAN-CVE-2023-38559DLA-3519-1CGA-478x-9f6v-7pf6CGA-cpq5-xpmh-h6wv
Published 01-08-2023Last modified 23-06-2026
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2023-38559 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in artifex ghostscript. EPSS estimates a 0.43% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 36.4% of scored vulnerabilities.
CVSS score
5.5/10
010
Medium · v3.1 (CVE.org)EPSS score
0.43%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 daysKEVNot listedIn no KEV catalog
RansomwareNone recordedNo known use recorded
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded
Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 4 · Related 3Timeline
- 01-08-2023PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 23-06-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
A buffer overflow flaw was found in base/gdevdevn.c:1973 in devn_pcx_write_rle() in ghostscript. This issue may allow a local attacker to cause a denial of service via outputting a crafted PDF file for a DEVN device with gs.
CVSS metrics
6 scores · 6 sources · 1 versionMedium 5.5Preferred score · CVE.org (CNA)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSourcesAll 6 agree
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- OSV · WolfiEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- OSV · ChainguardEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- NVDNIST5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.43%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
36%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
0.00 pp
From 0.43% on 20-09-2026
20-09-202620-10-2026
EPSS score0.43%
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root cause- CWE-125Out-of-bounds ReadThe product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
- CWE-120Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input ('Classic Buffer Overflow')The product copies an input buffer to an output buffer without verifying that the size of the input buffer is less than the size of the output buffer.
Affected systems
Suse7 products
- ghostscript&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4< 9.52-150000.170.1
- ghostscript&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5< 9.52-150000.170.1
- ghostscript&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5< 9.52-23.57.1
- ghostscript&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5< 9.52-23.57.1
- ghostscript&distro=SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5< 9.52-23.57.1
Debian2 products
- ghostscript< 10.0.0~dfsg-11+deb12u2 | < 10.02.0~dfsg-1 | < 9.27~dfsg-2+deb10u8
- debian_linuxEOL10.0
Opensuse2 products
- ghostscript&distro=openSUSE Leap 15.4< 9.52-150000.170.1
- ghostscript&distro=openSUSE Leap 15.5< 9.52-150000.170.1
Artifex1 product
- ghostscript< 10.02.0
Chainguard1 product
- ghostscript< 10.03.0-r0
Fedoraproject1 product
- fedoraEOL37 | 38
Redhat1 product
- enterprise_linux8.0 | 9.0
Ubuntu1 product
- ghostscript< 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.16.04.14+esm6 | < 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.18+esm1 | < 9.50~dfsg-5ubuntu4.9 | < 9.55.0~dfsg1-0ubuntu5.4
Wolfi1 product
- ghostscript< 10.03.0-r0
9 vendors · 17 products
References
17 links- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:6544Vendor AdvisoryX Refsource REDHATAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:7053Vendor AdvisoryX Refsource REDHATAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-38559VDB EntryX Refsource REDHATREPORTAdvisoryThird Party Advisory
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2224367Issue TrackingX Refsource REDHATREPORTThird Party Advisory
