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PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2019-10211

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.4.24 / 9.5.19 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 Windows installer before versions 11.5, 10.10, 9.6.15, 9.5.19, 9.4.24 is vulnerable via bundled OpenSSL executing code from unprotected directory.

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 PostgreSQL Windows installer bundles OpenSSL libraries that execute code from an unprotected directory, allowing DLL hijacking where malicious code could be executed with installer privileges during the installation process.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL Windows installations to versions 11.5, 10.10, 9.6.15, 9.5.19, 9.4.24 or later to remediate the vulnerable bundled OpenSSL components.

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:< 9.4.24>= 9.5.0, < 9.5.19>= 9.6.0, < 9.6.15>= 10.0, < 10.10>= 11.0, < 11.5

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. Verify Windows platform
    Confirm the system is running Windows (PostgreSQL Windows installer is the affected component)
    Affected if System is NOT Windows - the vulnerability only applies to Windows installations
  2. Check installed PostgreSQL version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, find PostgreSQL entry, note the version number; or run 'psql --version' from command line if PostgreSQL is in PATH
    Affected if Version matches: < 9.4.24, 9.5.0-9.5.18, 9.6.0-9.6.14, 10.0-10.9, or 11.0-11.4
  3. Identify if installation used Windows installer
    Check Program Files for PostgreSQL installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\) and confirm it was installed via the Windows installer (.exe setup file) rather than from source or other methods
    Affected if PostgreSQL was installed on Windows using the official Windows installer bundling OpenSSL libraries
  4. Confirm OpenSSL DLL presence
    Check the PostgreSQL installation directory for bundled OpenSSL DLL files (typically in bin\ folder: libssl-1_1-x64.dll, libcrypto-1_1-x64.dll, or older versions like libssl-1_0_0.dll)
    Affected if Vulnerable OpenSSL DLL versions from the installer bundle are present in the PostgreSQL directory

A Windows user is affected if they installed PostgreSQL using the Windows installer with a version matching the affected ranges listed, as the bundled OpenSSL libraries during installation could execute code from an unprotected directory.

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 9.4.24 / 9.5.19 / 9.6.15 or later
Fixed in 9.4.249.5.199.6.15
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PostgreSQL Windows installations to versions 11.5, 10.10, 9.6.15, 9.5.19, 9.4.24 or later to remediate the vulnerable bundled OpenSSL components.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 9.4.24, 9.5.19, 9.6.15, 10.10, or 11.5 (or later) depending on your current major version branch

  1. 1. Back up all PostgreSQL databases using pg_dump or pg_dumpall
  2. 2. Stop the PostgreSQL Windows service
  3. 3. Download the updated PostgreSQL Windows installer for your version branch (11.5, 10.10, 9.6.15, 9.5.19, or 9.4.24) from www.postgresql.org/download/windows/
  4. 4. Run the new installer and follow the upgrade prompts
  5. 5. Ensure the installer points to your existing data directory when prompted
  6. 6. Start the PostgreSQL service after installation completes
  7. 7. Verify database accessibility and check logs for any errors
Caveat Minor version upgrades within the same major branch are generally safe; ensure backup before proceeding

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

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2019-10211 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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