CVE-2024-29510: Artifex Ghostscript Privilege Escalation

CVE-2024-29510 Overview

Artifex Ghostscript before version 10.03.1 contains a vulnerability that permits memory corruption and SAFER sandbox bypass via a format string injection using a uniprint device.

Critical Impact
Allows attackers to execute unauthorized actions by exploiting memory corruption.

Affected Products

Artifex Ghostscript (all versions before 10.03.1)

Discovery Timeline

Not Available - Vulnerability discovered by Not Available
Not Available - Responsible disclosure to Artifex
Not Available - CVE CVE-2024-29510 assigned
Not Available - Artifex releases security patch
2024-07-03 - CVE CVE-2024-29510 published to NVD
2025-04-28 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-29510

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper input handling that leads to a format string injection error. When an attacker passes a maliciously crafted string to the uniprint device, it can corrupt memory or bypass the SAFER sandbox.

Root Cause

The core issue lies in the format string processing within the uniprint functionality which fails to sanitize input, leading to possible memory manipulation and bypass of security restrictions.

Attack Vector

Local attack on systems running vulnerable versions of Artifex Ghostscript.

// Example exploitation code (sanitized)
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

void vulnerable_function(char *input) {
    char buffer[256];
    sprintf(buffer, input);
    printf("Output: %s\n", buffer);
}

int main() {
    char *user_input = "%x %x %x %x";
    vulnerable_function(user_input);
}

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-29510

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected system behavior during print jobs
Unusual memory usage related to Ghostscript processes
Sandbox bypass alerts

Detection Strategies

Utilize heuristic analysis to detect format string anomalies in Ghostscript operations. Monitor for deviations in normal uniprint device processing.

Monitoring Recommendations

Employ SentinelOne's advanced EDR capabilities to monitor system calls related to Ghostscript. Check for privilege escalation attempts and unauthorized memory access.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-29510

Immediate Actions Required

Update Artifex Ghostscript to version 10.03.1 or later
Restrict access to Ghostscript on critical systems
Implement input validation on applications interacting with Ghostscript

Patch Information

Patches have been made available by Artifex in version 10.03.1. Ensure systems are updated to mitigate this vulnerability.

Workarounds

Disable uniprint device in Ghostscript configuration if upgrade cannot be immediately performed.

bash

# Configuration example
sed -i '/uniprint/d' /path/to/ghostscript.conf