Link following in PostgreSQL - CVE-2026-6475
Published: May 14, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU131457
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-6475
CWE-ID: CWE-59
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vendor: PostgreSQL Global Development Group
Affected software:
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL
Detailed vulnerability description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to overwrite arbitrary local files.
The vulnerability exists due to symlink following in pg_basebackup plain format and pg_rewind when processing files from an origin server. A remote attacker can provide crafted symlinks to overwrite arbitrary local files.
User interaction is required to run pg_basebackup or pg_rewind. The attack has practical implications only if relevant action is taken before the server is started, such as moving files to a different VM or snapshotting the VM.
How to mitigate CVE-2026-6475
Install security update from vendor's website.