CVE-2017-6196 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Ghostscript before ecceafe3abba2714ef9b432035fe0739d9b1a283 contains vulnerabilities that can be exploited by remote attackers, potentially leading to a denial of service or other impacts.

Understanding CVE-2017-6196

The gx_image_enum_begin function in Ghostscript has multiple use-after-free vulnerabilities that can be triggered by a specially crafted PostScript document.

What is CVE-2017-6196?

The vulnerability in Ghostscript allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or potentially have other unspecified impacts.

The Impact of CVE-2017-6196

Attackers can exploit the vulnerabilities to trigger a denial of service attack, crashing the application.
The exploitation of this vulnerability may lead to other unspecified impacts on the affected system.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-6196

The technical details of the CVE-2017-6196 vulnerability are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

The gx_image_enum_begin function in base/gxipixel.c in Ghostscript before ecceafe3abba2714ef9b432035fe0739d9b1a283 has multiple use-after-free vulnerabilities.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Not applicable
Vendor: Not applicable
Version: Not applicable

Exploitation Mechanism

Remote attackers can exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted PostScript document.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to mitigate and prevent the CVE-2017-6196 vulnerability:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by the vendor.
Avoid opening untrusted PostScript documents.

Long-Term Security Practices

Keep software and systems up to date with the latest security patches.
Implement network security measures to prevent remote attacks.
Regularly monitor and audit system logs for any suspicious activities.

Patching and Updates

Check for updates and security advisories from Ghostscript and apply patches promptly.