Vulnocalypse
Back to feed
22Track

PostgreSQL pg_basebackup and pg_rewind can overwrite unrelated files of origin superuser choice

PostgreSQL · CVE-2026-6475
0 news outlets0 CERTs and agencies0 researchers

Assessment: Track

SSVC decision points: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total, deployment medium.

What is it?

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.

Evidence

No coverage recorded yet.

Exploitation

  • Public proof of concept
  • Exploited in the wild
  • Listed as known exploited
CVSS
8.8
EPSS
0.3%
First seen
1 d ago
Status
corroborated

All PostgreSQL vulnerabilities