Vulnerability details
CVE-2026-6475
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL pg_basebackup and pg_rewind can overwrite unrelated files of origin superuser choice
CVSS 3.1
8.8High
Official description
Symlink following in PostgreSQL pg_basebackup plain format and in pg_rewind allows an origin superuser to overwrite local files, e.g. /var/lib/postgres/.bashrc, that hijack the operating system account. It will remain the case that starting the server after these commands implicitly trusts the origin superuser, due to features like shared_preload_libraries. Hence, the attack has practical implications only if one takes relevant action between these commands and server start, like moving the files to a different VM or snapshotting the VM. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.4, 17.10, 16.14, 15.18, and 14.23 are affected.
CVSS scores
| Score | Version | Source | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.8High | 3.1 | CVEProject cvelistV5 (CNA) (PostgreSQL) | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | PostgreSQL | v < 14.23 | CVEProject cvelistV5 (CNA) |
| — | PostgreSQL | 15 ≤ v < 15.18 | CVEProject cvelistV5 (CNA) |
| — | PostgreSQL | 16 ≤ v < 16.14 | CVEProject cvelistV5 (CNA) |
| — | PostgreSQL | 17 ≤ v < 17.10 | CVEProject cvelistV5 (CNA) |
| — | PostgreSQL | 18 ≤ v < 18.4 | CVEProject cvelistV5 (CNA) |
References and advisories
1
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Details
- Published
- 2026-05-14
- Last updated
- 2026-05-15
- State
- Published
- Assigner (CNA)
- PostgreSQL
Exploit prediction (EPSS)
0.41%
Probability of exploitation in 30 days
35.5%
Percentile (among all CVEs)
SSVC assessment (CISA)
- Automatable
- No
- Exploitation
- None
- Technical impact
- Total
Weaknesses (CWE)
- CWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following