dbcve.org
PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2015-0244

CRITICAL · 9.8 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
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 does not properly handle errors while reading a protocol message, which allows remote attackers to conduct SQL injection attacks via crafted binary data in a parameter and causing an error, which triggers the loss of synchronization and part of the protocol message to be treated as a new message, as demonstrated by causing a timeout or query cancellation.

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 handle errors during protocol message reading, allowing remote attackers to cause a desynchronization of the database protocol. By sending crafted binary data that triggers an error, an attacker can cause the protocol to lose synchronization, causing part of a subsequent message to be interpreted as a new SQL command, enabling SQL injection.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 9.0.19, 9.1.15, 9.2.10, 9.3.6, or 9.4.1 or higher. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network exposure to the database port and enforce strong authentication.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 the database with `SELECT version();` to obtain the exact version number
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: < 9.0.19, >= 9.1.0 and < 9.1.15, >= 9.2.0 and < 9.2.10, >= 9.3.0 and < 9.3.6, or >= 9.4.0 and < 9.4.1
  2. Verify PostgreSQL network exposure
    Examine the PostgreSQL configuration file (postgresql.conf) for the `listen_addresses` setting. If it is set to '*' or a specific IP address other than localhost/127.0.0.1, the database is network-accessible
    Affected if `listen_addresses` is set to allow remote connections (not limited to localhost or 127.0.0.1)
  3. Confirm PostgreSQL port is accessible
    Check the `port` setting in postgresql.conf (default 5432) and verify with a network scan or `netstat -tlnp | grep postgres` that the port is listening on an external interface
    Affected if PostgreSQL is listening on 0.0.0.0 or a non-loopback address on port 5432 (or configured port)
  4. Review client authentication configuration
    Examine pg_hba.conf to see which authentication methods are configured and from which hosts connections are permitted
    Affected if pg_hba.conf allows connections from remote hosts using `trust`, `md5`, or other authentication methods without IP-based restriction

The environment is affected if PostgreSQL is running a version prior to the fixed releases (9.0.19, 9.1.15, 9.2.10, 9.3.6, or 9.4.1) AND the database is accessible over the network to untrusted hosts.

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.

dbcve · scoped
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 higher. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network exposure to the database port and enforce strong authentication.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to PostgreSQL 9.4.1 or later (or the latest 9.x stable release available from postgresql.org)

  1. 1. Identify the current PostgreSQL version by running: psql --version or SELECT version();
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current major version (9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, or 9.4)
  3. 3. Back up all databases using pg_dumpall or your preferred backup method
  4. 4. Stop the PostgreSQL service: service postgresql stop or systemctl stop postgresql
  5. 5. Install the updated PostgreSQL package from your distribution's package manager (apt-get update && apt-get install postgresql for Debian)
  6. 6. Start the PostgreSQL service: service postgresql start or systemctl start postgresql
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: psql --version and confirming it shows 9.0.19, 9.1.15, 9.2.10, 9.3.6, or 9.4.1 or later
  8. 8. Test that applications can connect and function properly with the updated database
Caveat Minor version upgrades within the same major version are generally safe, but test in staging first; consider that very old 9.0 installations may have compatibility considerations with newer clients

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2015-0244 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