#VU14688 Type confusion in Ghostscript - CVE-2018-16511

Vulnerability identifier: #VU14688

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 7.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-16511

CWE-ID: CWE-843

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Ghostscript
Universal components / Libraries / Libraries used by multiple products

Vendor: Artifex Software, Inc.

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause DoS condition or execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to a type confusion condition in the ztype code. A remote unauthenticated attacker can trick the victim into opening a specially crafted PostScript file that submits malicious input and cause the affected software to crash or execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability may result in complete compromise of vulnerable system.

Mitigation
Update to version 9.24.

Vulnerable software versions

Ghostscript: 9.00 - 9.23

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External links
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=0edd3d6c634a577db261615a9dc2719bca7f6e01

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.