Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2020-27792
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 · uneditedA heap-based buffer overwrite vulnerability was found in GhostScript's lp8000_print_page() function in the gdevlp8k.c file. This flaw allows an attacker to trick a user into opening a crafted PDF file, triggering the heap buffer overflow that could lead to memory corruption or a denial of service.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in GhostScript's lp8000_print_page() function (gdevlp8k.c) for the Lexmark 8000 printer driver. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening maliciously crafted PDF files, leading to memory corruption or denial of service.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 10.0<= 9.50CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
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 installed GhostScript versionRun 'gs --version' or check package manager (dpkg -l | grep ghostscript)Affected if Version is 9.50 or lower (any version <= 9.50)
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Check if lp8000 device driver is availableRun 'gs -h' or 'gs -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=lp8000' to see if the lp8000 device is listed or loads without errorAffected if The lp8000 device driver is present and accessible in the GhostScript installation
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Verify operating system versionCheck Debian version with 'cat /etc/debian_version' or 'lsb_release -a'Affected if Running Debian Linux version 10.0
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Confirm GhostScript package originCheck package source: 'dpkg -l | grep ghostscript' or 'apt-cache policy ghostscript'Affected if Package is from Artifex or Debian repositories for the affected versions
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Check for untrusted PDF processing capabilityReview whether applications or workflows process PDF files from untrusted sources via GhostScript (check for pdf-related tools, CUPS print queues using GhostScript)Affected if GhostScript is configured to render or print untrusted PDF files
System is affected if GhostScript version 9.50 or lower is installed and the lp8000 printer device is available, particularly on Debian 10.0 or when processing untrusted PDF 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 dataAvoid opening untrusted or unverified PDF files until a patch is applied. Update GhostScript to the latest version when patches become available.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27792 — 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-2020-27792 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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