LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2020-16308: A buffer overflow vulnerability in p_print_image() in devices/gdevcdj.c of Artifex Software GhostScript v9....

A buffer overflow vulnerability in p_print_image() in devices/gdevcdj.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.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Ghostscript 9.50 can crash when processing a specially crafted PDF. The known impact is denial of service, not confirmed code execution. This matters where PDF processing is automated or exposed to untrusted files, because a single malicious document could interrupt conversion, printing, or related workflows.

Executive priority

Treat as a timely patching item for systems handling untrusted PDFs. Business urgency is highest where PDF processing is internet-facing, customer-facing, or operationally critical. Absence of KEV evidence lowers emergency priority, but the fix is available and disruption risk is credible.

Technical view

CVE-2020-16308 is a buffer overflow in p_print_image() in devices/gdevcdj.c in Artifex Ghostscript 9.50. The CVE description says a remote attacker can cause denial of service through a crafted PDF. The issue is reported fixed in Ghostscript 9.51.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on systems that run Ghostscript 9.50 or vulnerable distribution packages and process PDFs from users, email, uploads, print queues, or document conversion jobs. The bundle does not identify broader affected product versions beyond Ghostscript 9.50 and distribution advisories.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Public descriptions support a crafted-PDF denial-of-service scenario. No exploit maturity, proof-of-concept status, or weaponized activity is established in the source bundle.

Researcher notes

The bundle lacks CVSS, CWE, and detailed affected-version ranges. Analysis is limited to Ghostscript 9.50, the named p_print_image() location, crafted-PDF denial of service, and the stated fix in 9.51. Avoid assuming code execution or broader product impact without additional vendor evidence.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Ghostscript to version 9.51 or later where applicable.
  • Apply Debian, Ubuntu, Gentoo, or other vendor security updates for Ghostscript.
  • Restrict automated Ghostscript processing of untrusted PDFs until patched.
  • Check current vendor guidance for platform-specific fixed package versions.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory hosts and containers for Ghostscript 9.50 or vulnerable distro packages.
  • Confirm patched package versions against the relevant vendor advisory.
  • Identify services that process PDFs through Ghostscript from untrusted sources.
  • Review recent Ghostscript crashes in document conversion or print workflows.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-16308 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
7Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.