MEDIUM CVSS 4.5
Published: 2025-04-26

CVE-2025-46646

artifex ghostscript Security Advisory (CVE-2025-46646)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2025-46646 impacting artifex ghostscript. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 4.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
In Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.0, decode_utf8 in base/gp_utf8.c mishandles overlong UTF-8 encoding. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2024-46954.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
Low (C:L)
Partial information leakage
Integrity
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product artifex / ghostscript
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-24

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2025-46646 impacting artifex ghostscript.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2025-46646.yaml
id: cve-2025-46646

info:
  name: artifex ghostscript - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2025-46646 affecting artifex ghostscript.
    Evaluation: In Artifex Ghostscript before 10.05.0, decode_utf8 in base/gp_utf8.c mishandles overlong UTF-8 encoding. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incompl...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2025-46646
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
    cvss-score: 4.5
    cve-id: CVE-2025-46646
    cwe-id: CWE-24
  tags: cve,cve-2025-46646,artifex,ghostscript,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "ghostscript"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2025-46646.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2025-46646
# Target: artifex ghostscript | CVSS: 4.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2025-46646 (artifex ghostscript)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against artifex ghostscript scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2025-46646.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2025-46646
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install ghostscript 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade ghostscript 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update ghostscript

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i ghostscript 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i ghostscript

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2025-46646 in artifex ghostscript?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update artifex ghostscript packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2025-46646?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2025-46646?

CVE-2025-46646 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 4.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
4.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2025-46646
Weakness CWE-24
Vendor artifex
Product ghostscript
Published 2025-04-26
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N