Type Confusion in PostgreSQL - CVE-2026-16239
Published: August 15, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU142623
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4: 8.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-16239
CWE-ID: CWE-843
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote user to execute arbitrary code.
The vulnerability exists due to type confusion in the portal/cursor lifecycle when re-creating a cursor or other portal with different types. A remote user can re-create a cursor or other portal with different types to execute arbitrary code.
Successful exploitation results in code execution as the operating system user running the database.
Affected software
PostgreSQL
Debian Linux
postgresql-17 (Debian package)
Debian Linux
postgresql-17 (Debian package)
How to mitigate CVE-2026-16239
Install security update from vendor's website.
PostgreSQL - addressed in versions 14.24, 15.19, 16.15, 17.11, 18.5
postgresql-17 (Debian package) - update to 17.11-0+deb13u1
postgresql-17 (Debian package) - update to 17.11-0+deb13u1