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PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2015-0241

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.0.19 / 9.1.15 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 to_char function in PostgreSQL before 9.0.19, 9.1.x before 9.1.15, 9.2.x before 9.2.10, 9.3.x before 9.3.6, and 9.4.x before 9.4.1 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a (1) large number of digits when processing a numeric formatting template, which triggers a buffer over-read, or (2) crafted timestamp formatting template, which triggers a buffer overflow.

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

The to_char function in PostgreSQL contains two memory corruption vulnerabilities: a buffer over-read when processing numeric formatting templates with an excessive number of digits, and a buffer overflow when processing crafted timestamp formatting templates. Both defects allow remote authenticated users to crash the database server or potentially execute arbitrary code.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 9.0.19, 9.1.15, 9.2.10, 9.3.6, or 9.4.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict to_char function access to trusted users only.

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:< 9.0.19>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.15>= 9.2.0, < 9.2.10>= 9.3.0, < 9.3.6>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.1
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 7.0= 8.0

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
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 query 'SELECT version();' from the psql prompt
    Affected if The version matches one of the vulnerable ranges: < 9.0.19, 9.1.0-9.1.14, 9.2.0-9.2.9, 9.3.0-9.3.5, or 9.4.0
  2. Identify PostgreSQL major version via package manager
    Run 'dpkg -l postgresql' on Debian or check rpm query on Red Hat-based systems
    Affected if On Debian 7.0 or 8.0, the installed package version falls within the affected ranges listed above
  3. Verify to_char function availability
    Connect to the database as a superuser and run 'SELECT proname FROM pg_proc WHERE proname = 'to_char';' to confirm the function exists
    Affected if The to_char function is present in the database (it is a built-in function in all affected versions)
  4. Check for non-superuser roles with USAGE privilege on to_char
    Query 'SELECT rolname, proname, prokind FROM pg_proc p JOIN pg_namespace n ON p.pronamespace = n.oid JOIN pg_roles r ON p.proowner = r.oid WHERE proname = 'to_char' AND rolname != 'postgres';' or inspect role memberships
    Affected if Non-superuser authenticated roles have access to execute to_char, allowing them to trigger the vulnerability

A user is affected if they run a vulnerable PostgreSQL version (below 9.0.19, 9.1.15, 9.2.10, 9.3.6, or 9.4.1) and have authenticated users who can execute the to_char function with numeric or timestamp formatting templates.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 9.0.19 / 9.1.15 / 9.2.10 or later
Fixed in 9.0.199.1.159.2.10
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PostgreSQL to version 9.0.19, 9.1.15, 9.2.10, 9.3.6, or 9.4.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict to_char function access to trusted users only.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-0241 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