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GhostscriptApplication

CVE-2009-0792

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-04-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.64 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple integer overflows in icc.c in the International Color Consortium (ICC) Format library (aka icclib), as used in Ghostscript 8.64 and earlier and Argyll Color Management System (CMS) 1.0.3 and earlier, allow context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code by using a device file for a translation request that operates on a crafted image file and targets a certain "native color space," related to an ICC profile in a (1) PostScript or (2) PDF file with embedded images. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2009-0583.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Integer overflows in icc.c within the ICC Format library (icclib) allow heap-based buffer overflows when parsing crafted ICC profiles embedded in PostScript or PDF files. The overflows occur during device file translation operations targeting certain native color spaces, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution. This issue is an incomplete fix of CVE-2009-0583.

MitigationUpgrade Ghostscript to version 8.64+ and Argyll CMS to version 1.0.3+ with patched icclib. Alternatively, implement strict validation of ICC profile data before processing and restrict processing of untrusted PostScript/PDF files in sandboxed environments.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
GhostscriptApplication
Affected:<= 8.64= 5.50= 7.05= 7.07= 8.0.1= 8.15= 8.15.2= 8.54= 8.56= 8.57= 8.61= 8.62
ArgyllcmsApplication
Affected:<= 1.0.3= 0.1.0= 0.2.0= 0.2.1= 0.2.2= 0.3.0= 0.6.0= 0.7.0= 1.0.0= 1.0.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Ghostscript version
    Run 'gs --version' or check the installed ghostscript package version using your system package manager (dpkg, rpm, etc.)
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions: 5.50, 7.05, 7.07, 8.0.1, 8.15, 8.15.2, 8.54, 8.56, 8.57, 8.61, 8.62, or any version <= 8.64
  2. Check ArgyllCMS version
    Run 'tiffdiff -v' or check the installed argyllcms package version using your system package manager
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions: 0.1.0, 0.2.0, 0.2.1, 0.2.2, 0.3.0, 0.6.0, 0.7.0, 1.0.0, 1.0.2, or any version <= 1.0.3
  3. Identify if ICC profile processing is in use
    Search your system for ICC profile handling tools such as icclib, icc2ps, or any PDF/PostScript processing utilities that utilize the ICC library. Check for applications that process color profiles from untrusted sources.
    Affected if ICC profile processing tools are present and can be invoked to parse profiles from PostScript or PDF files
  4. Audit PDF/PostScript processing workflows
    Review any scripts or applications that automatically process PDF or PostScript files, particularly those that handle embedded ICC color profiles. Look for commands that use Ghostscript or ArgyllCMS utilities to convert or translate color spaces.
    Affected if Automated or user-accessible workflows exist that process untrusted PostScript or PDF files with ICC profile translation enabled

A system is affected if it runs any version of Ghostscript <= 8.64 or ArgyllCMS <= 1.0.3 AND processes PostScript/PDF files containing ICC profiles through the icclib library.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.64
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Ghostscript to version 8.64+ and Argyll CMS to version 1.0.3+ with patched icclib. Alternatively, implement strict validation of ICC profile data before processing and restrict processing of untrusted PostScript/PDF files in sandboxed environments.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Ghostscript 8.65+ or Argyll CMS 1.0.4+

  1. 1. Identify which affected product (Ghostscript or Argyll CMS) is in use in your environment.
  2. 2. For Ghostscript: Check the installed version using 'gs --version' or 'gs -v'.
  3. 3. For Argyll CMS: Check the installed version using 'refine --version' or reviewing the package version.
  4. 4. If Ghostscript <= 8.64 is installed, upgrade to Ghostscript 8.65 or later.
  5. 5. If Argyll CMS <= 1.0.3 is installed, upgrade to Argyll CMS 1.0.4 or later.
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version number.
  7. 7. Test that PostScript and PDF processing functionality continues to work correctly with the upgraded version.
Caveat Minor: Ensure compatibility with any custom PostScript/PDF workflows as with any major version upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ghostscript Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $5,940
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0792 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data