CVE-2014-0466
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 · uneditedThe fixps script in a2ps 4.14 does not use the -dSAFER option when executing gs, which allows context-dependent attackers to delete arbitrary files or execute arbitrary commands via a crafted PostScript file.
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 confidenceThe fixps script in a2ps 4.14 invokes Ghostscript (gs) without the -dSAFER security flag. This flag restricts PostScript file operations to prevent access to the filesystem and command execution. Without it, a maliciously crafted PostScript file processed by fixps can delete arbitrary files or execute arbitrary commands.
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= 4.14CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if a2ps is installedRun 'which a2ps' or check your system's package manager for the a2ps packageAffected if a2ps is installed and version 4.14 is present
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Locate the fixps scriptFind the fixps script in the a2ps installation directory, typically in /usr/bin/fixps, /usr/local/bin/fixps, or within the a2ps lib directoryAffected if The fixps script exists in the a2ps installation
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Inspect the Ghostscript command invocation in fixpsOpen the fixps script with a text editor and search for lines that invoke 'gs' or 'ghostscript' commandAffected if The script contains a gs command invocation without the -dSAFER flag present on that line
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Verify the -dSAFER flag presenceExamine each gs command line in fixps and confirm whether -dSAFER appears in the command argumentsAffected if The gs command lacks -dSAFER in its arguments, leaving the security sandbox disabled
If a2ps version 4.14 is installed and the fixps script contains a gs command invocation without the -dSAFER flag, the environment is vulnerable to arbitrary file deletion or command execution via malicious PostScript files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataAdd the -dSAFER option to the gs command invocation in the fixps script to enable Ghostscript's security sandbox. Verify that legitimate PostScript processing continues to function correctly after applying the fix.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0466 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-0466 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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