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PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2015-5288

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-10-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.0.22 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The crypt function in contrib/pgcrypto in PostgreSQL before 9.0.23, 9.1.x before 9.1.19, 9.2.x before 9.2.14, 9.3.x before 9.3.10, and 9.4.x before 9.4.5 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (server crash) or read arbitrary server memory via a "too-short" salt.

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 pgcrypto extension's crypt() function in PostgreSQL versions before 9.0.23, 9.1.19, 9.2.14, 9.3.10, and 9.4.5 contains a memory handling vulnerability when processing salts of insufficient length. Attackers can provide a too-short salt to crash the server (DoS) or read arbitrary server memory due to improper bounds checking.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 9.0.23, 9.1.19, 9.2.14, 9.3.10, 9.4.5, or later. If pgcrypto is not required in production, disable or remove the extension to reduce attack surface.

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:<= 9.0.22= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.1.4= 9.1.5= 9.1.6= 9.1.7= 9.1.8= 9.1.9= 9.1.10

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
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 -V' or connect to the database and execute 'SELECT version();' to obtain the exact PostgreSQL version number
    Affected if The installed version is 9.0.22 or earlier, 9.1.18 or earlier, 9.2.13 or earlier, 9.3.9 or earlier, or 9.4.4 or earlier
  2. Verify if pgcrypto extension is installed
    Connect to each database and run 'SELECT * FROM pg_extension WHERE extname = 'pgcrypto';'
    Affected if The pgcrypto extension exists in any database
  3. Confirm pgcrypto crypt function availability
    Run 'SELECT proname FROM pg_proc WHERE proname = 'crypt' AND pronamespace = (SELECT oid FROM pg_namespace WHERE nspname = 'pg_catalog' OR nspname = 'public');' or attempt 'SELECT crypt('test', gen_salt('md5'));'
    Affected if The crypt function from pgcrypto is callable and operational
  4. Check for pgcrypto in shared preload libraries
    Examine postgresql.conf for 'shared_preload_libraries' setting containing 'pgcrypto'
    Affected if pgcrypto is preloaded, making the vulnerability reachable at session start

The environment is affected if PostgreSQL version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the pgcrypto extension with its crypt() function is installed and accessible in any database.

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 a release after 9.0.22
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PostgreSQL to version 9.0.23, 9.1.19, 9.2.14, 9.3.10, 9.4.5, or later. If pgcrypto is not required in production, disable or remove the extension to reduce attack surface.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2015-5288 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
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