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CVE-2015-3228· NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

Integer overflow in the gs_heap_alloc_bytes function in base/gsmalloc.c in Ghostscript 9.15 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a d

Integer overflow in the gs_heap_alloc_bytes function in base/gsmalloc.c in Ghostscript 9.15 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted Postscript (ps) file, as demonstrated by using the ps2pdf command, which triggers an out-of-bounds read or write.

MediumCVSS 6.8 · v2.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 11, 2015
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
3.7% · 89th percentile
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Action score

28

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
27 / 40 · 6.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 3.7%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
artifexafpl ghostscript

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • artifex afpl ghostscriptup to 9.15 inclusive

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12ghostscriptbefore 9.15~dfsg-19.15~dfsg-1
Debian:6.0ghostscriptbefore 8.71~dfsg2-9+squeeze28.71~dfsg2-9+squeeze2
Debian:7ghostscriptbefore 9.05~dfsg-6.3+deb7u29.05~dfsg-6.3+deb7u2
Debian:8ghostscriptbefore 9.06~dfsg-2+deb8u19.06~dfsg-2+deb8u1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedghostscriptbefore 9.20-2.19.20-2.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12ghostscriptbefore 9.15-6.59.15-6.5
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4ghostscript-librarybefore 8.62-32.38.18.62-32.38.1

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2009-3743Off-by-one error in the Ins_MINDEX function in the TrueType bytecode interpreter in Ghostscript before 8.71 allows remote attackers to execu
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2009-4897Buffer overflow in gs/psi/iscan.c in Ghostscript 8.64 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of ser
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2017-6196Multiple use-after-free vulnerabilities in the gx_image_enum_begin function in base/gxipixel.c in Ghostscript before ecceafe3abba2714ef9b432
    32Monitor
  • CVE-2010-2055Ghostscript 8.71 and earlier reads initialization files from the current working directory, which allows local users to execute arbitrary Po
    28Monitor
  • CVE-2013-5653The getenv and filenameforall functions in Ghostscript 9.10 ignore the "-dSAFER" argument, which allows remote attackers to read data via a
    23Monitor
  • CVE-2010-4054The gs_type2_interpret function in Ghostscript allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (incorrect pointer dereference and appli
    18Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:ghostscript9.15~dfsg-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:ghostscript9.20-2.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
suse:ghostscript9.15-6.5 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12Package registry (OSV)
suse:ghostscript-library8.62-32.38.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 11 SP4Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

    If successful

    Confidentiality
    P · data can be read
    Integrity
    P · data or configuration can be modified
    Availability
    P · the service can be disrupted
    Attack complexity
    M
    Confidentiality impact
    P
    Integrity impact
    P
    Availability impact
    P

    Weakness class (CWE)

    CWE-189 · Numeric Errors

    CVSS vector

    AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

    nvd-primary

    Attack context

    MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

    MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

    Noroxi analysis

    No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

    We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.

    We use this product, ask for help

    Change log

    1. Fix✗ → ✓

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    References

    All records