CVE-2020-27792

Memory corruption via heap buffer overwrite

Published Aug 19, 2022 · Updated Nov 20, 2025

Heap-based buffer overflow in Ghostscript in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 allows attackers to cause memory corruption or denial of service via a crafted PDF. The lp8000_print_page() function in gdevlp8k.c overwrites a heap buffer while processing crafted PDF print data. Exploitation requires a user to open the malicious document, after which the process can corrupt memory or stop rendering; no remote service access is required.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.46%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Heap-based buffer overflow in Ghostscript in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 allows attackers to cause memory corruption or denial of service via a crafted PDF. The lp8000_print_page() function in gdevlp8k.c overwrites a heap buffer while processing crafted PDF print data. Exploitation requires a user to open the malicious document, after which the process can corrupt memory or stop rendering; no remote service access is required.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-27792
Published
Aug 19, 2022
Updated
Nov 20, 2025
Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Classifications
CWE-119, T1204, T1203
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 19, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 20, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Affected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.1Red Hat, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-119Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer
T1204User Execution
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo