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PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2020-14350

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.5.23 / 9.6.19 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
It was found that some PostgreSQL extensions did not use search_path safely in their installation script. An attacker with sufficient privileges could use this flaw to trick an administrator into executing a specially crafted script, during the installation or update of such extension. This affects PostgreSQL versions before 12.4, before 11.9, before 10.14, before 9.6.19, and before 9.5.23.

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 extensions used insecure search_path settings in their installation scripts, allowing an attacker with sufficient privileges to inject malicious code by tricking an administrator into running a specially crafted script during extension installation or update.

MitigationUpdate PostgreSQL to version 12.4, 11.9, 10.14, 9.6.19, or 9.5.23 or later, and audit all extension installation scripts for safe search_path usage before deployment.

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:>= 9.5, < 9.5.23>= 9.6, < 9.6.19>= 10.0, < 10.14>= 11.0, < 11.9>= 12.0, < 12.4
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 16.04= 18.04= 20.04
LeapOperating system
Affected:= 15.1= 15.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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. Identify installed PostgreSQL version
    Run 'psql -V' from command line or execute 'SELECT version();' inside psql to get the exact version string
    Affected if The version falls within one of these ranges: 9.5.x where x < 23, 9.6.x where x < 19, 10.x where x < 14, 11.x where x < 9, or 12.x where x < 4
  2. List installed extensions
    Execute 'SELECT extname, extversion FROM pg_extension;' inside psql to see which extensions are currently installed in the database
    Affected if Any extensions are installed - the vulnerability applies during extension installation or update, not just when already installed
  3. Verify current search_path configuration
    Execute 'SHOW search_path;' inside psql to see the current search_path setting
    Affected if The search_path includes '$user' or public schema without explicit qualification, which could allow extension scripts to resolve objects unexpectedly
  4. Inspect extension installation script locations
    Locate extension control and script files in the PostgreSQL share/extension directory (typically /usr/share/postgresql/<version>/extension/ or pg_config --sharedir)/extension/)
    Affected if Extension scripts exist and were installed with the database - the vulnerability is in how these scripts set search_path during CREATE EXTENSION or UPDATE

You are affected if your PostgreSQL version is less than 9.5.23, 9.6.19, 10.14, 11.9, or 12.4 and you have extensions installed or plan to install extensions from the distribution packages.

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 9.5.23 / 9.6.19 / 10.14 or later
Fixed in 9.5.239.6.1910.14
Interim mitigation

Update PostgreSQL to version 12.4, 11.9, 10.14, 9.6.19, or 9.5.23 or later, and audit all extension installation scripts for safe search_path usage before deployment.

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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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-2020-14350 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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