HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-18284
HIGH

CVE-2018-18284

NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: October 19, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.6
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Artifex Ghostscript 9.25 and earlier allows attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism via vectors involving the 1Policy operator.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-18284 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.6.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeChanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

artifex2 product(s)
ghostscriptgpl ghostscript
Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
pulsesecure1 product(s)
pulse connect secure
Red Hat6 product(s)
enterprise linux desktopenterprise linux serverenterprise linux server ausenterprise linux server eusenterprise linux server tusenterprise linux workstation
Source: NVD CPE · 15 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/10/16/2
PATCHhttps://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44101
PATCHhttp://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/10/16/2
PATCHhttps://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44101
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107451
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3834
ADVISORYhttps://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1696
ADVISORYhttps://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=699963
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/10/msg00013.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-12
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3803-1/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4336
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107451
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3834
ADVISORYhttps://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1696
ADVISORYhttps://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=699963
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/10/msg00013.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-12
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3803-1/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4336

All References (24)

→
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Bh=8d19fdf63f91f50466b08f23e2d93d37a4c5ea0b
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/10/16/2Exploit · Mailing List · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107451Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3834Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=1696Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=699963Issue Tracking · Permissions Required · Third Party Advisory
→
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44101Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/10/msg00013.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-12Mitigation · Third Party Advisory
→
https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K22141757?utm_source=f5support&amp%3Butm_medium=RSS
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3803-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4336Third Party Advisory
→
http://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Bh=8d19fdf63f91f50466b08f23e2d93d37a4c5ea0b
→
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/10/16/2Exploit · Mailing List · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107451Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-18284
CVSS Score8.6 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessNVD-CWE-noinfo
CISA KEVNo
Affected5 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 19, 2018

Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)

CVE-2007-1134
10.0
CVE-2007-1319
10.0
CVE-2007-0910
10.0
CVE-2010-2900
10.0
CVE-2007-0980
10.0
CVE-2007-1796
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-18284 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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