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PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2012-0866

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-07-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
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
CREATE TRIGGER in PostgreSQL 8.3.x before 8.3.18, 8.4.x before 8.4.11, 9.0.x before 9.0.7, and 9.1.x before 9.1.3 does not properly check the execute permission for trigger functions marked SECURITY DEFINER, which allows remote authenticated users to execute otherwise restricted triggers on arbitrary data by installing the trigger on an attacker-owned table.

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's CREATE TRIGGER command fails to properly validate execute permissions on SECURITY DEFINER trigger functions, allowing authenticated remote users to execute privileged trigger code by attaching those triggers to tables they own. An attacker with database access can exploit this to run trigger functions with elevated privileges on arbitrary data within the database.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 8.3.18+, 8.4.11+, 9.0.7+, 9.1.3+, or a later supported major version. Additionally, audit existing SECURITY DEFINER triggers and enforce least-privilege principles by revoking unnecessary permissions.

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:= 8.3= 8.3.1= 8.3.2= 8.3.3= 8.3.4= 8.3.5= 8.3.6= 8.3.7= 8.3.8= 8.3.9= 8.3.10= 8.3.11

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
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P

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. Check PostgreSQL server version
    Run 'psql -c "SELECT version();"' or query 'SELECT version();' to obtain the exact version string
    Affected if The version is 8.3.0 through 8.3.11 (or any version earlier than 8.3.18, 8.4.11, 9.0.7, 9.1.3 based on available fix branches)
  2. Identify SECURITY DEFINER triggers
    Query the pg_proc catalog: SELECT proname, pronamespace::regnamespace, proowner, prosrc FROM pg_proc WHERE prokind = 'f' AND prosrc LIKE '%EVENT TRIGGER%' OR run: SELECT tgname, tgrelid::regclass, tgfoid::regproc, proowner FROM pg_trigger JOIN pg_proc ON tgfoid = oid WHERE NOT tgisinternal AND prokind = 'f';
    Affected if Any SECURITY DEFINER functions exist in the database (they are vulnerable in affected versions)
  3. Check trigger function ownership and privileges
    Query: SELECT proname, proowner::regrole, pronamespace::regnamespace FROM pg_proc WHERE oid IN (SELECT tgfoid FROM pg_trigger WHERE NOT tgisinternal);
    Affected if SECURITY DEFINER trigger functions are owned by superusers or roles with elevated privileges
  4. Verify current user trigger creation permissions
    As a non-superuser test account, attempt: CREATE TRIGGER test_trigger BEFORE INSERT ON some_table EXECUTE FUNCTION some_function();
    Affected if A user can attach a SECURITY DEFINER function owned by a privileged role to a table they own, regardless of execute permission on that function

You are affected if running PostgreSQL 8.3.0-8.3.11 and any SECURITY DEFINER trigger functions exist that are owned by privileged roles and can be attached to tables by less-privileged users.

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 8.3.18+, 8.4.11+, 9.0.7+, 9.1.3+, or a later supported major version. Additionally, audit existing SECURITY DEFINER triggers and enforce least-privilege principles by revoking unnecessary permissions.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2012-0866 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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