Description
A flaw was found in, ghostscript versions prior to 9.50, in the .pdf_hook_DSC_Creator procedure where it did not properly secure its privileged calls, enabling scripts to bypass `-dSAFER` restrictions. A specially crafted PostScript file could disable security protection and then have access to the file system, or execute arbitrary commands.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artifex Software | ghostscript | ghostscript versions prior to 9.28 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | ghostscript | 9.28~~rc2~dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | ghostscript | 9.28~~rc2~dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | ghostscript | 9.28~~rc2~dfsg-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | ghostscript | 9.27~dfsg-2+deb10u2 | DSA-4518-1 |
| Debian 9 | ghostscript | 9.26a~dfsg-0+deb9u5 | DSA-4518-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 8 | ghostscript | 9.26a~dfsg-0+deb8u5 | DLA-1915-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | ghostscript | 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.11 | USN-4111-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | ghostscript | 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.16.04.11 | USN-4111-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | libgs +7 | 9.25-2.el8_0.3 | RHSA-2019:2591 |
| RHEL 7 | libgs +5 | 9.25-2.el7_7.2 | RHSA-2019:2586 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP1 | ghostscript | 9.27-3.21.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2460-1 |
| SLES 15 | ghostscript | 9.27-3.21.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2460-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES 12 SP3 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
Show 13 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP2 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES 12 SP1 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP2 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 8 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SUSE HPE Helion OpenStack 8 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 5 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 4 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.28.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | ghostscript | 9.54.0-2.2 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10783-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.1 | ghostscript +1 | 9.27-lp151.3.6.1 | openSUSE-SU-2019:2223-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.0 | ghostscript +1 | 9.27-lp150.2.23.1 | openSUSE-SU-2019:2222-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
Show 13 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | ghostscript | 9.27-r3 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | ghostscript | 9.26-r4 | — |
| Alpine v3.8 | ghostscript | 9.26-r4 | — |
| Alpine v3.7 | ghostscript | 9.26-r4 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 | libgs +5 | 9.25-5.amzn2 | ALAS2-2021-1598 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 8 | libgs +7 | 9.25-2.el8_0.3 | ELSA-2019-2591 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | libgs +5 | 9.25-2.el7_7.2 | ELSA-2019-2586 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
GitHub 1 repository
-
matejsmycka/CVE-2019-14811-in-pdf-exploit ★ 0 · Jun 15, 2025
This exploit targets CVE-2019-14811 in GS environments where PostScript output is not reflected, but is executed such as PDF previews via png images.
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 13
- RHSA-2019:2591 Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- RHSA-2019:2586 Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- USN-4111-1 ghostscript vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- DSA-4518-1 ghostscript - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1915-1 ghostscript - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10783-1 ghostscript-9.54.0-2.2 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2223-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2222-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:2460-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:2478-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ALAS2-2021-1598 Important: ghostscript security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 19, 2021
- ELSA-2019-2591 Important: ghostscript security update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Sep 6, 2019
- ELSA-2019-2586 Important: ghostscript security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Sep 2, 2019
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14811
- DSA-4518 vendor-advisory
- [debian-lts-announce] 20190909 [SECURITY] [DLA 1915-1] ghostscript security update mailing-list
- 20190910 [SECURITY] [DSA 4518-1] ghostscript security update mailing-list
- RHSA-2019:2594 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2019-0a9d525d71 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2019-953fc0f16d vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2019-ebd6c4f15a vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2222 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2223 vendor-advisory
- RHBA-2019:2824 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-202004-03 vendor-advisory