# CVE-2023-38559: Ghostscript: out-of-bound read in base/gdevdevn.c:1973 in devn_pcx_write_rle could result in dos

> A local attacker can cause a denial of service in Ghostscript by processing a crafted PDF file, leading to an out-of-bounds read.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 23 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2023-38559, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-38559, DLA-3519-1, GHSA-v34c-9rwg-qpf6, SUSE-SU-2023:3438-1, SUSE-SU-2023:3439-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2023-38559, USN-6297-1

## What is CVE-2023-38559?

CVE-2023-38559 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript, published on 1 Aug 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A buffer overflow flaw was found in base/gdevdevn.c:1973 in devn_pcx_write_rle() in ghostscript. This issue may allow a local attacker to cause a denial of service via outputting a crafted PDF file for a DEVN device with gs.

Weakness: CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input), CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-38559?

It affects 4 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | All versions | 9.52-150000.170.1 |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP5 | All versions | 9.52-150000.170.1 |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | All versions | 9.52-23.57.1 |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | All versions | 9.52-23.57.1 |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | All versions | 9.52-23.57.1 |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Manager Proxy 4.2 | All versions | 9.52-150000.170.1 |
| `ghostscript` | SUSE:Manager Server 4.2 | All versions | 9.52-150000.170.1 |
| `ghostscript` | openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 9.52-150000.170.1 |
| `ghostscript` | openSUSE:Leap 15.5 | All versions | 9.52-150000.170.1 |

Products: Artifex Ghostscript, Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Redhat Enterprise Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-38559?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2023-38559 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38559 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Artifex Ghostscript

- [CVE-2017-8291](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8291/): Artifex Ghostscript Type Confusion (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-3781](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3781/): Command injection in ghostscript (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2025-27831](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-27831/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-27832](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-27832/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-27836](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-27836/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-38559 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-38559 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Artifex Ghostscript, published on 1 Aug 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38559 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Artifex Ghostscript. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38559/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38559/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38559
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38559
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-38559

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38559/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.