CVE-2025-27833
📋 TL;DR
A buffer overflow vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by providing a specially crafted long TTF font name. This affects systems processing PDF files with Ghostscript, including document conversion services and print servers. The vulnerability requires processing malicious PDF files to trigger exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Artifex Ghostscript
📦 What is this software?
Ghostscript by Artifex
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with the privileges of the Ghostscript process, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Denial of service through application crashes, with potential for limited code execution depending on exploit sophistication and system protections.
If Mitigated
Application crash without code execution if modern exploit mitigations like ASLR and DEP are properly configured and enforced.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting a malicious PDF with a specially designed long TTF font name. The attacker needs to get the victim to process the PDF through Ghostscript.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 10.05.0 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=708259
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Download Ghostscript 10.05.0 or later from the official website. 2. Stop any services using Ghostscript. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart services that use Ghostscript.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable TTF font processing
allConfigure Ghostscript to disable TrueType font processing if not required
Add '-dNO_TTF' to Ghostscript command line arguments
Sandbox Ghostscript processes
allRun Ghostscript in a restricted environment with minimal privileges
Use containerization (Docker with limited capabilities) or SELinux/AppArmor policies
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict input validation for PDF files before processing with Ghostscript
- Isolate Ghostscript processes in network segments with limited access to critical systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Run 'gs --version' and check if version is below 10.05.0Check Version:
gs --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Ghostscript version is 10.05.0 or higher using 'gs --version'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Ghostscript crash logs
- Segmentation fault errors in system logs
- Abnormal process termination of gs processes
Network Indicators:
- Unusual PDF file uploads to document processing services
- Multiple failed PDF processing attempts
SIEM Query:
process_name:gs AND (event_type:crash OR exit_code:139 OR exit_code:-1073741819)