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Ghostscript CVE-2017-7207

MEDIUM
NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)
2017-03-21 cve@mitre.org
5.5
CVSS 3.0 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.33%.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local attacker with access to the system could crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

The mem_get_bits_rectangle function in Artifex Software, Inc. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. This NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability could allow attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Check pointers before dereferencing. Use static analysis tools to detect null pointer paths.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which allows attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. The mem_get_bits_rectangle function in Artifex Software, Inc. Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via a crafted PostScript document. Affected products include: Artifex Ghostscript.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

The mem_get_bits_rectangle function in Artifex Software, Inc. Ghostscript 9.20 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via a crafted PostScript document.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 44% exploitable
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

28
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:artifex:ghostscript:9.20:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
CVE-2017-8291 HIGH POC
7.8 Apr 27

Artifex Ghostscript through 2017-04-26 allows -dSAFER bypass and remote command execution via .rsdparams type confusion

CVE-2016-7976 HIGH POC
8.8 Aug 07

The PS Interpreter in Ghostscript 9.18 and 9.20 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted userparams

CVE-2018-16509 HIGH POC
7.8 Sep 05

An issue was discovered in Artifex Ghostscript before 9.24. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no aut

CVE-2012-4405 MEDIUM
6.8 Sep 18

Multiple integer underflows in the icmLut_allocate function in International Color Consortium (ICC) Format library (iccl

CVE-2023-28879 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Mar 31

In Artifex Ghostscript through 10.01.0, there is a buffer overflow leading to potential corruption of data internal to t

CVE-2018-18284 HIGH POC
8.6 Oct 19

Artifex Ghostscript 9.25 and earlier allows attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism via vectors involving the

CVE-2018-17961 HIGH POC
8.6 Oct 15

Artifex Ghostscript 9.25 and earlier allows attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism via vectors involving err

CVE-2016-10317 HIGH POC
7.8 Apr 03

The fill_threshhold_buffer function in base/gxht_thresh.c in Artifex Software, Inc. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this

CVE-2017-9611 HIGH POC
7.8 Jul 26

The Ins_MIRP function in base/ttinterp.c in Artifex Ghostscript GhostXPS 9.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial

CVE-2017-9835 HIGH POC
7.8 Jul 26

The gs_alloc_ref_array function in psi/ialloc.c in Artifex Ghostscript 9.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of

CVE-2017-7948 HIGH POC
7.8 Apr 19

Integer overflow in the mark_curve function in Artifex Ghostscript 9.21 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of ser

CVE-2026-101258 HIGH POC
7.8 Oct 06

Ghostscript can execute arbitrary shell commands with the privileges of its process when it renders a crafted PostScript

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