Vulnerability identifier: #VU22785

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 6.8 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-3466

CWE-ID: CWE-264

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
PostgreSQL
Server applications / Database software

Vendor: PostgreSQL Global Development Group

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to pg_ctlcluster does not drop privileges before creating sockets and temporary directories outside "/var/run/postgresql". A local user can create arbitrary directories on the system during application startup or reload and elevate privileges on the system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

PostgreSQL: 12.0, 11.0 - 11.5, 10.0 - 10.10, 9.6.0 - 9.6.15, 9.5.0 - 9.5.19, 9.4.0 - 9.4.24

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External links
http://salsa.debian.org/postgresql/postgresql-common/commit/ec9d984b62ed79f61be97b786a9ff4381309979c
http://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1994/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.