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PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2007-0556

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-02-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The query planner in PostgreSQL before 8.0.11, 8.1 before 8.1.7, and 8.2 before 8.2.2 does not verify that a table is compatible with a "previously made query plan," which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (server crash) and possibly access database content via an "ALTER COLUMN TYPE" SQL statement, which can be leveraged to read arbitrary memory from the server.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

PostgreSQL versions 8.0.x before 8.0.11, 8.1.x before 8.1.7, and 8.2.x before 8.2.2 contain a query planner vulnerability where the planner fails to verify table compatibility with a previously cached query plan. An authenticated remote attacker can exploit this by executing an ALTER COLUMN TYPE SQL statement, causing server crashes and potentially reading arbitrary server memory.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 8.0.11, 8.1.7, 8.2.2 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, limit database access to trusted authenticated users only, as the attack requires valid database credentials.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 1.0= 1.01= 1.02= 1.09= 6.0= 6.1= 6.1.1= 6.2= 6.2.1= 6.3= 6.3.1= 6.3.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
None
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:H/Au:S/C:C/I:N/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify PostgreSQL version
    Run 'psql --version' or query 'SELECT version();' from a database connection
    Affected if The version is 8.0.x before 8.0.11, 8.1.x before 8.1.7, or 8.2.x before 8.2.2
  2. Verify database authentication is exposed
    Review pg_hba.conf for authentication settings and check network exposure via listen_addresses in postgresql.conf
    Affected if The database accepts connections from untrusted networks or users without strong authentication controls
  3. Confirm user privilege level
    Query pg_roles system catalog: 'SELECT rolname, rolsuper FROM pg_roles;'
    Affected if Non-superuser authenticated users exist who could execute the malicious ALTER COLUMN TYPE operation
  4. Check for prepared statements or cached plans
    Query pg_prepared_statements: 'SELECT * FROM pg_prepared_statements;'
    Affected if Any prepared statements exist, as the vulnerability exploits mismatched cached plan reuse after schema changes
  5. Review recent ALTER COLUMN TYPE operations
    Check database logs for ALTER COLUMN TYPE commands or query pg_stat_activity for current sessions
    Affected if ALTER COLUMN TYPE has been executed recently, as this is the trigger condition for the vulnerability

You are affected if your PostgreSQL version is 8.0.x before 8.0.11, 8.1.x before 8.1.7, or 8.2.x before 8.2.2 AND you have authenticated database users who can execute ALTER COLUMN TYPE statements.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade PostgreSQL to version 8.0.11, 8.1.7, 8.2.2 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, limit database access to trusted authenticated users only, as the attack requires valid database credentials.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-0556 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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