CVE-2020-27792 is a high-severity heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability identified in the GhostScript component used within Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL 8). Specifically, the flaw exists in the lp8000_print_page() function located in the gdevlp8k.c source file. GhostScript is a widely used interpreter for PostScript and PDF files, often employed for document rendering and printing tasks. The vulnerability arises due to improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer, allowing a crafted PDF file to trigger a heap buffer overflow. This overflow can corrupt memory, potentially leading to denial of service (application or system crash) or other unpredictable behavior. Exploitation requires a local vector with user interaction, as the user must open a maliciously crafted PDF file. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.1, reflecting a high severity due to the impact on integrity and availability, with no impact on confidentiality. The attack complexity is low, no privileges are required, but user interaction is necessary. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The vulnerability affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 installations that include the vulnerable GhostScript version, which is commonly present in enterprise Linux environments for printing and document processing. Since this is a heap overflow, it may be leveraged for further exploitation depending on the environment and mitigations in place, but the primary confirmed impacts are denial of service and memory corruption.

For European organizations, the vulnerability poses a significant risk primarily to systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 with GhostScript installed, especially those handling PDF documents or print services. The potential for denial of service can disrupt critical business operations, particularly in sectors relying on automated document processing such as finance, government, healthcare, and manufacturing. Memory corruption could also be a stepping stone for more advanced attacks, potentially compromising system integrity. Given the requirement for user interaction (opening a crafted PDF), phishing or social engineering campaigns could be used to deliver the malicious files, increasing the attack surface. Organizations with extensive Linux infrastructure or those using RHEL 8 in production environments are at higher risk. The impact on confidentiality is rated as none, but integrity and availability impacts are high, which can lead to operational downtime and loss of trust in IT systems. Additionally, disruption in printing or document workflows can have cascading effects on business continuity.

1. Apply official patches or updates from Red Hat as soon as they become available to remediate the vulnerability in GhostScript. 2. Implement strict email and file filtering to detect and block malicious PDF files, using advanced sandboxing or content disarming technologies. 3. Educate users about the risks of opening unsolicited or suspicious PDF attachments, emphasizing caution with documents from unknown or untrusted sources. 4. Restrict or isolate printing services and document processing workflows to minimize exposure, for example by running GhostScript in a sandboxed environment or container with limited privileges. 5. Monitor system logs and application behavior for signs of crashes or anomalous activity related to GhostScript or PDF processing. 6. Employ endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting exploitation attempts targeting heap buffer overflows. 7. Where feasible, disable or limit GhostScript usage on systems that do not require PDF or PostScript processing to reduce attack surface. 8. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential denial of service events.