Description
A flaw was found in all versions of ghostscript 9.x before 9.50, where the `.charkeys` procedure, where it did not properly secure its privileged calls, enabling scripts to bypass `-dSAFER` restrictions. An attacker could abuse this flaw by creating a specially crafted PostScript file that could escalate privileges within the Ghostscript and access files outside of restricted areas or execute commands.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghostscript | ghostscript | all versions of ghostscript 9.x before 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 | 9.50~dfsg-3 | — |
| Debian 13 | ghostscript | 9.50~dfsg-3 | — |
| Debian 12 | ghostscript | 9.50~dfsg-3 | — |
| Debian 10 | ghostscript | 9.27~dfsg-2+deb10u3 | DSA-4569-1 |
| Debian 9 | ghostscript | 9.26a~dfsg-0+deb9u6 | DSA-4569-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 8 | ghostscript | 9.26a~dfsg-0+deb8u6 | DLA-1992-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | ghostscript | 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.12 | USN-4193-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | ghostscript | 9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.16.04.12 | USN-4193-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | libgs +7 | 9.25-5.el8_1.1 | RHSA-2019:3890 |
| RHEL 7 | libgs +5 | 9.25-2.el7_7.3 | RHSA-2019:3888 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8.0 E4S | libgs +1 | 9.25-2.el8_0.4 | RHSA-2020:0222 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP1 | ghostscript | 9.27-3.24.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2981-1 |
| SLES 15 | ghostscript | 9.27-3.24.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2981-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES 12 SP3 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP2 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES 12 SP1 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP2 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 8 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SUSE HPE Helion OpenStack 8 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 5 | ghostscript | 9.27-23.31.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 15.1 | ghostscript +1 | 9.27-lp151.3.9.1 | openSUSE-SU-2019:2535-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.0 | ghostscript +1 | 9.27-lp150.2.26.1 | openSUSE-SU-2019:2534-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
Show 11 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | ghostscript | 9.50-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | ghostscript | 9.27-r5 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | ghostscript | 9.26-r5 | — |
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 | 9.25-5.el8_1.1 | ELSA-2019-3890 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | libgs +5 | 9.25-2.el7_7.3 | ELSA-2019-3888 |
Advisories 13
- RHSA-2020:0222 Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- RHSA-2019:3890 Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- RHSA-2019:3888 Red Hat Security Advisory: ghostscript security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- USN-4193-1 ghostscript vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- DSA-4569-1 ghostscript - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1992-1 ghostscript - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:2981-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:2983-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2534-1 Security update for ghostscript SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2535-1 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-2019-3890 Important: ghostscript security update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 22, 2019
- ELSA-2019-3888 Important: ghostscript security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 15, 2019
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14869
- [oss-security] 20191115 CVE-2019-14869 ghostscript: -dSAFER escape in .charkeys mailing-list
- https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=485904772c5f
- https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=701841
- FEDORA-2019-17f42f585a vendor-advisory
- 20191118 [SECURITY] [DSA 4569-1] ghostscript security update mailing-list
- FEDORA-2019-6cdb10aa59 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2534 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2535 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2019-7debdd1807 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2020:0222 vendor-advisory
- JVN#52486659 third-party-advisory