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CVE Record

CVE-2020-17538: A buffer overflow vulnerability in GetNumSameData() in contrib/lips4/gdevlips.c of Artifex Software GhostSc...

A buffer overflow vulnerability in GetNumSameData() in contrib/lips4/gdevlips.c of Artifex Software GhostScript from v9.18 to 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
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Ghostscript versions 9.18 through 9.50 can crash when handling a specially crafted PDF. The known impact in the source bundle is denial of service, not data theft or code execution. Systems that process untrusted PDFs should treat this as operationally relevant.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate availability risk. It is most urgent for externally facing or automated PDF-processing services where a crash could interrupt business workflows. Patch through normal vulnerability remediation, faster for high-volume document pipelines.

Technical view

CVE-2020-17538 is a buffer overflow in GetNumSameData() in contrib/lips4/gdevlips.c. The CVE description states a remote attacker can trigger denial of service using a crafted PDF. The issue is reported fixed in Ghostscript 9.51.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where Ghostscript 9.18 through 9.50 processes PDFs from users, customers, email, uploads, print workflows, or automated document conversion. Linux distributions with Ghostscript packages may have backported fixes through their security advisories.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. It does identify a remote crafted-PDF denial-of-service scenario. No exploit maturity, public weaponization, or broader impact is established in the supplied sources.

Researcher notes

The source bundle identifies the vulnerable function and fixed upstream version but provides no CVSS vector or CWE mapping. Analysis should stay limited to denial of service unless additional vendor evidence shows stronger impact.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Ghostscript to 9.51 or a vendor-fixed package.
  • Apply relevant Debian, Ubuntu, or Gentoo security updates where applicable.
  • Avoid processing untrusted PDFs with vulnerable Ghostscript builds.
  • Check Artifex and distribution guidance for supported fixed versions.
  • Prioritize systems that automatically parse external PDFs.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Ghostscript versions across servers, workstations, and containers.
  • Flag versions 9.18 through 9.50 as potentially affected.
  • Confirm package changelogs include the CVE-2020-17538 fix or backport.
  • Review document-processing services for untrusted PDF input paths.
  • Verify update status against applicable distribution advisories.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

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.

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CVE-2020-17538 mapping review

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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
9Source 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.