PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore
CVE-2020-25695
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 · uneditedA flaw was found in PostgreSQL versions before 13.1, before 12.5, before 11.10, before 10.15, before 9.6.20 and before 9.5.24. An attacker having permission to create non-temporary objects in at least one schema can execute arbitrary SQL functions under the identity of a superuser. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.
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 confidenceA privilege escalation vulnerability in PostgreSQL allows attackers with CREATE permission on any schema to execute arbitrary SQL functions under superuser identity, bypassing intended permission boundaries.
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
< 9.5.24>= 9.6.0, < 9.6.20>= 10.0, < 10.15>= 11.0, < 11.10>= 12.0, < 12.5>= 13.0, < 13.1
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 9.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check PostgreSQL versionRun `psql -c "SELECT version();"` or `SELECT pg_postmaster_start_time();` to identify the installed PostgreSQL version number.Affected if The version falls into any of these ranges: < 9.5.24, >= 9.6.0 and < 9.6.20, >= 10.0 and < 10.15, >= 11.0 and < 11.10, >= 12.0 and < 12.5, or >= 13.0 and < 13.1.
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List all schemas and ownersRun `SELECT nspname, nspowner::regrole FROM pg_namespace WHERE nspname NOT LIKE 'pg_%' AND nspname NOT LIKE 'information_schema';` to see user-defined schemas and their owners.Affected if There are user-defined schemas in the database.
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Check CREATE permission on schemasRun `SELECT grantee, schema_name, privilege_type FROM information_schema.schema_privileges WHERE privilege_type = 'CREATE';` to identify roles with CREATE privilege on any schema.Affected if Any non-superuser role (not postgres) has CREATE privilege on any schema.
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Identify superuser rolesRun `SELECT rolname FROM pg_roles WHERE rolsuper = true;` to list superuser accounts.Affected if There is at least one superuser account in the database (this is the typical vulnerable configuration).
The environment is affected if the PostgreSQL version is in the vulnerable range AND there exist non-superuser roles with CREATE permission on any user-defined schema.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data9.5.249.6.2010.15
Upgrade PostgreSQL to versions 13.1, 12.5, 11.10, 10.15, 9.6.20, 9.5.24 or later. Review schema permissions to limit non-superuser CREATE privileges until patching is complete.
Fix this in PostgreSQL
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-25695 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-25695 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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