dbcve.org
PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2013-1899

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-04-04
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
High EPSS 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
Argument injection vulnerability in PostgreSQL 9.2.x before 9.2.4, 9.1.x before 9.1.9, and 9.0.x before 9.0.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (file corruption), and allows remote authenticated users to modify configuration settings and execute arbitrary code, via a connection request using a database name that begins with a "-" (hyphen).

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 fails to properly sanitize database names in connection requests when the name begins with a hyphen (-), allowing argument injection. An attacker can exploit this by specifying a specially crafted database name to cause file corruption (DoS), modify configuration settings, or execute arbitrary code. This affects PostgreSQL 9.0.x, 9.1.x, and 9.2.x versions prior to their respective security updates.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 9.2.4, 9.1.9, 9.0.13 or later. Additionally, enforce strict input validation on database names to reject entries starting with special characters like hyphen.

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:= 9.2= 9.2.1= 9.2.2= 9.2.3= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.1.4= 9.1.5= 9.1.6= 9.1.7
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.04= 10.04= 11.10= 12.04= 12.10

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 installed PostgreSQL version
    Run `psql --version` or `SELECT version();` to determine the PostgreSQL version
    Affected if Version is 9.0.x, 9.1.x, or 9.2.x and is lower than 9.0.13, 9.1.9, or 9.2.4 respectively
  2. Identify databases with hyphen-prefixed names
    Connect to PostgreSQL and run `SELECT datname FROM pg_database WHERE datname LIKE '-%';`
    Affected if Any database name returned begins with a hyphen character
  3. Inspect connection logs for argument injection attempts
    Review PostgreSQL log files (typically in /var/log/postgresql/) for connection attempts with database names starting with `-`
    Affected if Logs show connection attempts with database names beginning with hyphen that may have triggered unexpected behavior
  4. Check for unrestricted connection settings
    Examine pg_hba.conf for any `host all all 0.0.0.0/0 trust` or similarly permissive authentication rules that could allow remote exploitation
    Affected if Trust authentication is enabled for wide-open network access without input validation on database names
  5. Verify database name validation in applications
    Review application code or connection strings that specify database names to confirm they do not accept user-controlled database names beginning with special characters
    Affected if Applications allow unvalidated user input to specify database names without rejecting names starting with hyphen

A user is affected if their PostgreSQL version is 9.0.x before 9.0.13, 9.1.x before 9.1.9, or 9.2.x before 9.2.4 AND they either have databases with hyphen-prefixed names or accept unvalidated database name input from 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 9.2.4, 9.1.9, 9.0.13 or later. Additionally, enforce strict input validation on database names to reject entries starting with special characters like hyphen.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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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-2013-1899 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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data