CVE-2026-39919
Received Received - Intake

Heap-based Buffer Overflow in Ghostscript via JPEG 2000 Image

Publication date: 2026-09-15

Last updated on: 2026-09-15

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
Ghostscript before 10.08.0 contains a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the JPEG 2000 output adapter (base/sjpx_openjpeg.c) that allows attackers to cause memory corruption by supplying a crafted PDF containing a JPEG 2000 image with mismatched component subsampling factors. When image components declare different subsampling values, the non-samescale sub-byte-depth output path allocates a row buffer sized for packed output but writes a full byte per output column regardless of bit depth, overflowing the allocation and corrupting internal chunk-allocator metadata to achieve code execution.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-15
Last Modified
2026-09-15
Generated
2026-09-15
AI Q&A
2026-09-15
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-39919
EUVD
EUVD-2026-78584

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
artifex ghostscript to 10.08.0 (exc)
artifex_software ghostscript to 10.08.0 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-122 A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-39919 is a heap-based buffer overflow in Ghostscript versions before 10.08.0. It occurs when processing a crafted PDF containing a JPEG 2000 image with mismatched component subsampling factors. The system allocates an insufficient row buffer for packed output, leading to a buffer overflow when writing data. This corrupts internal memory and may allow code execution.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check the installed Ghostscript version using 'gs --version' or 'ghostscript --version'. Versions before 10.08.0 are vulnerable. Additionally, inspect PDF files containing JPEG 2000 images for mismatched component subsampling factors using tools like 'pdfinfo' or 'exiftool' to analyze image metadata.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems running vulnerable Ghostscript versions. It could lead to system compromise, data theft, or further network infiltration if exploited via malicious PDF files.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could potentially impact compliance with GDPR and HIPAA by enabling unauthorized code execution through crafted PDFs with JPEG 2000 images. Exploitation may lead to data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive information, or system compromise, which are critical violations under these regulations.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately update Ghostscript to version 10.08.0 or later. This can be done via package managers like 'apt', 'yum', or by downloading the release from the official GitHub repository. Avoid processing untrusted PDF files until the update is applied.

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