CVE-2024-33869
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 10.03.1. Path traversal and command execution can occur (via a crafted PostScript document) because of path reduction in base/gpmisc.c. For example, restrictions on use of %pipe% can be bypassed via the aa/../%pipe%command# output filename.
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 confidenceGhostscript before 10.03.1 contains a path traversal vulnerability in base/gpmisc.c that allows attackers to bypass restrictions on %pipe% command execution via path reduction techniques, such as using aa/../%pipe%command# in the output filename of a crafted PostScript document.
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< 10.03.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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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Check installed Ghostscript versionRun 'gs --version' or 'gswin64c --version' (Windows) to get the version numberAffected if The version is below 10.03.1 (e.g., 10.03.0, 10.02.0, etc.)
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Confirm Ghostscript binary existsRun 'which gs' on Linux/macOS or check for gswin64c.exe on Windows in common paths like C:\Program Files\gs\Affected if Ghostscript is installed but version cannot be determined or is less than 10.03.1
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Test %pipe% command availabilityAttempt to run a simple pipe command via Ghostscript, such as: gs -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=nullpage -sOutputFile='%pipe%echo test' -f /dev/null 2>&1 ; observe if the command executes or is blockedAffected if The %pipe% command executes successfully (indicating it is not disabled or restricted by -dSAFER)
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Check for unrestricted PostScript processingReview if Ghostscript processes untrusted PostScript files from external sources, or check for automated document conversion workflows that accept user-uploaded PS/EPS/PDF filesAffected if Ghostscript processes untrusted PostScript files without additional sandboxing or with %pipe% enabled
You are affected if Ghostscript version is below 10.03.1 AND %pipe% functionality is accessible to the attacker (not disabled via -dSAFER or configuration), and the system processes untrusted PostScript documents.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.03.1
Upgrade Ghostscript to version 10.03.1 or later. Additionally, consider running Ghostscript in a sandboxed or restricted environment and disabling %pipe% functionality if not required, as a defense-in-depth measure.
10.03.1
- Check current Ghostscript version by running 'gs --version' or 'gswin64c --version'
- Download Ghostscript version 10.03.1 or later from the official source (git.ghostscript.com or https://www.ghostscript.com/downloads.html)
- Install the updated version using your system's package manager or by compiling from source
- Verify the installation was successful by running 'gs --version' to confirm the version is 10.03.1 or higher
- Test that the vulnerability is fixed by attempting to process a malicious PostScript file that uses the aa/../%pipe% pattern - it should now be properly blocked
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-33869 — 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-2024-33869 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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