CVE-2016-7979

CRITICALEPSS 93th pctl

9.8

CVSS v3

Description

Ghostscript before 9.21 might allow remote attackers to bypass the SAFER mode protection mechanism and consequently execute arbitrary code by leveraging type confusion in .initialize_dsc_parser.

CWE-704

How to fix

Remediation Available

ghostscriptDebian

Fixed in:9.19~dfsg-3.1CVE-2016-7979

ghostscriptUbuntu

Fixed in:9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5USN-3148-1

Fixed in:9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2USN-3148-1

ghostscript-xUbuntu

Fixed in:9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5USN-3148-1

Fixed in:9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2USN-3148-1

libgs9Ubuntu

Fixed in:9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5USN-3148-1

Fixed in:9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2USN-3148-1

libgs9-commonUbuntu

Fixed in:9.10~dfsg-0ubuntu10.5USN-3148-1

Fixed in:9.18~dfsg~0-0ubuntu2.2USN-3148-1

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredNone

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploit Intelligence

6.42%probability of exploitation in 30 days

93rdpercentile

High risk: more likely to be exploited than 93% of all known CVEs.

References

Patch2

Third-Party Advisory1

securityfocus.com

Other references5

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-704 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2025-41646	Critical	9.8	44%	-	Fix
CVE-2017-5115	High	8.8	26%	-	Fix
CVE-2018-12453	High	7.5	24%	-	Fix
CVE-2018-3843	High	8.8	24%	-	-
CVE-2017-3106	High	8.8	22%	-	-
CVE-2018-5007	High	8.8	18%	-	-

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2016-7979?

Published advisories record a fix for 5 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2016-7979 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2016-7979 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 6.4% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 93% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2016-7979?

CVE-2016-7979 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2016-7979 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for ghostscript (Debian), ghostscript (Ubuntu), ghostscript-x (Ubuntu), libgs9 (Ubuntu), and 1 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

Embed a live status badge for CVE-2016-7979

Markdown

[![CVE-2016-7979](https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2016-7979.svg)](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2016-7979)

HTML

<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2016-7979"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2016-7979.svg" alt="CVE-2016-7979"></a>

Find and fix vulnerabilities across your fleet

TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.

See how it works Start freeThis CVE lookup is free and always will be.

This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-05-13.