CVE-2019-14812

HIGHEPSS 83th pctl

7.8

CVSS v3

Description

A flaw was found in all ghostscript versions 9.x before 9.50, in the .setuserparams2 procedure where it did not properly secure its privileged calls, enabling scripts to bypass `-dSAFER` restrictions. A specially crafted PostScript file could disable security protection and then have access to the file system, or execute arbitrary commands.

CWE-648 CWE-732Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

How to fix

Remediation Available

ghostscriptDebian

Fixed in:9.28~~rc2~dfsg-1CVE-2019-14812

ghostscriptUbuntu

Fixed in:9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.16.04.11USN-4111-1

Fixed in:9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.11USN-4111-1

libgs9Ubuntu

Fixed in:9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.16.04.11USN-4111-1

Fixed in:9.26~dfsg+0-0ubuntu0.18.04.11USN-4111-1

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 VectorLocal

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredNone

User InteractionRequired

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploit Intelligence

2.47%probability of exploitation in 30 days

83rdpercentile

Elevated risk: more likely to be exploited than 83% of all known CVEs.

References

Third-Party Advisory3

Other references3

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-648 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2026-20122	Medium	5.4	25%	KEV	Fix
CVE-2019-14813	Critical	9.8	11%	-	Fix
CVE-2024-8785	Critical	9.8	9.7%	-	Fix
CVE-2025-54766	Medium	5.3	6.9%	-	-
CVE-2025-54765	Medium	5.3	6.9%	-	-
CVE-2025-54767	Medium	6.5	5.3%	-	-

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2019-14812?

Published advisories record a fix for 3 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-2019-14812 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2019-14812 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 2.5% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 83% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2019-14812?

CVE-2019-14812 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8, rated high. 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-2019-14812 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for ghostscript (Debian), ghostscript (Ubuntu), libgs9 (Ubuntu). 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-2019-14812

Markdown

[![CVE-2019-14812](https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2019-14812.svg)](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2019-14812)

HTML

<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2019-14812"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2019-14812.svg" alt="CVE-2019-14812"></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 2024-11-21.