CVE-2023-36664: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9gf6-5j7x-x3m9
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-552
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-36664 is a HIGH (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-36664 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-36664
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9gf6-5j7x-x3m9
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-36664

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-36664, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties, where the product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Artifex Ghostscript through 10.01.2 mishandles permission validation for pipe devices (with the %pipe% prefix or the | pipe character prefix).

References

NVD — CVE-2023-36664 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36664
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://artifex.com/blog/security-vulnerability-fixed-in-ghostscript-10.01.2
bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=706761
git.ghostscript.com/ WEB
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=0974e4f2ac0005d3731e0b5c13ebc7e965540f4d
git.ghostscript.com/ WEB
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=505eab7782b429017eb434b2b95120855f2b0e3c
git.ghostscript.com/ WEB
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=0974e4f2ac0005d3731e0b5c13ebc7e965540f4d
git.ghostscript.com/ WEB
https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=505eab7782b429017eb434b2b95120855f2b0e3c
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2ICXN5VPF3WJCYKMPSYER5KHTPJXSTJZ
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5EWMEK2UPCUU3ZLL7VASE5CEHDQY4VKV
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2ICXN5VPF3WJCYKMPSYER5KHTPJXSTJZ
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5EWMEK2UPCUU3ZLL7VASE5CEHDQY4VKV
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-36664
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-03
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5446
www.kroll.com/en/publications/cyb... WEB
https://www.kroll.com/en/publications/cyber/ghostscript-cve-2023-36664-remote-code-execution-vulnerability

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-36664?
CVE-2023-36664 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2023-36664?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-36664?
CVE-2023-36664 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-36664?
CVE-2023-36664 is classified under CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties (The product makes files or directories accessible to unauthorized actors, even though they should not be.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-36664?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-9gf6-5j7x-x3m9",
  "modified" : "2026-08-28T18:30:25Z",
  "published" : "2023-06-26T00:30:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-36664" ],
  "details" : "Artifex Ghostscript through 10.01.2 mishandles permission validation for pipe devices (with the %pipe% prefix or the | pipe character prefix).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36664"
  }, {
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    "url" : "https://artifex.com/blog/security-vulnerability-fixed-in-ghostscript-10.01.2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.ghostscript.com/show_bug.cgi?id=706761"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=0974e4f2ac0005d3731e0b5c13ebc7e965540f4d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=505eab7782b429017eb434b2b95120855f2b0e3c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=0974e4f2ac0005d3731e0b5c13ebc7e965540f4d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.ghostscript.com/?p=ghostpdl.git;a=commit;h=505eab7782b429017eb434b2b95120855f2b0e3c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2ICXN5VPF3WJCYKMPSYER5KHTPJXSTJZ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5EWMEK2UPCUU3ZLL7VASE5CEHDQY4VKV"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2ICXN5VPF3WJCYKMPSYER5KHTPJXSTJZ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5EWMEK2UPCUU3ZLL7VASE5CEHDQY4VKV"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-36664"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-03"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5446"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.kroll.com/en/publications/cyber/ghostscript-cve-2023-36664-remote-code-execution-vulnerability"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-552" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-06-25T22:15:21Z"
  }
}