CVE-2016-9601
5.3 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2016-9601 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting artifex gpl_ghostscript. It was published on April 24, 2018 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 5.3, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
ghostscript before version 9.21 is vulnerable to a heap based buffer overflow that was found in the ghostscript jbig2_decode_gray_scale_image function which is used to decode halftone segments in a JBIG2 image. A document (PostScript or PDF) with an embedded, specially crafted, jbig2 image could trigger a segmentation fault in ghostscript.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from artifex. Update gpl_ghostscript to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| artifex | gpl_ghostscript | >= 0, < 9.21 | Affected |
| artifex | jbig2dec | 0 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2016-9601?
CVE-2016-9601 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting artifex gpl_ghostscript. It was published on April 24, 2018 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2016-9601?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 5.3, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2016-9601?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from artifex. Update gpl_ghostscript to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2016-9601?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2016-9601 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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