CVE-2025-46646

Local path traversal via overlong UTF-8 decoding

Published Apr 26, 2025 · Updated Apr 29, 2025

Path traversal in Artifex Software Ghostscript before 10.05.0 allows local users to escape path restrictions via overlong UTF-8. The decode_utf8 function in base/gp_utf8.c rejects a two-byte sequence only when its first-byte payload is zero, so payload value one still encodes ASCII characters in an illegal long form. Exploitation requires attacker-controlled input to reach a local Ghostscript invocation and permits limited file access outside the intended directory.

CVSS severity4.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.18%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in Artifex Software Ghostscript before 10.05.0 allows local users to escape path restrictions via overlong UTF-8. The decode_utf8 function in base/gp_utf8.c rejects a two-byte sequence only when its first-byte payload is zero, so payload value one still encodes ASCII characters in an illegal long form. Exploitation requires attacker-controlled input to reach a local Ghostscript invocation and permits limited file access outside the intended directory.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-46646
Published
Apr 26, 2025
Updated
Apr 29, 2025
Vendor
Artifex Software, Inc.
Product
Ghostscript
Classifications
CWE-24
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 26, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 29, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <10.05.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Artifex Software, Inc. · Ghostscriptversion=0 <10.05.0

Published CVSS scores

4.5MITRECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-24Path Traversal: '../filedir'

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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