CVE-2023-41114
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server (EPAS) before 11.21.32, 12.x before 12.16.20, 13.x before 13.12.16, 14.x before 14.9.0, and 15.x before 15.4.0. It contains the functions get_url_as_text and get_url_as_bytea that are publicly executable, thus permitting an authenticated user to read any file from the local filesystem or remote system regardless of that user's permissions.
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 confidenceEnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server contains two functions (get_url_as_text and get_url_as_bytea) that are publicly executable, allowing any authenticated database user to read arbitrary files from the local filesystem or remote systems. This is an authorization bypass where function-level security is not properly enforced.
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< 11.21.32>= 12.0.0, < 12.16.20>= 13.0.0, < 13.12.17>= 14.0.0, < 14.9.0>= 15.0.0, < 15.4.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Confirm EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server is installedLook for EPAS binaries or service. On Linux check /opt/edb/as<x>/bin/ for psql or edb-psql, or run 'which edb-psql' or check for running 'edb-as-<version>' processes.Affected if EPAS is installed on the system
-
Identify installed EPAS versionRun 'psql --version' or 'edb-psql --version' from the EPAS bin directory, or query SELECT version(); from a database connection.Affected if Version is < 11.21.32, or >= 12.0.0 and < 12.16.20, or >= 13.0.0 and < 13.12.17, or >= 14.0.0 and < 14.9.0, or >= 15.0.0 and < 15.4.0
-
Check if vulnerable functions existQuery the pg_proc catalog: SELECT proname FROM pg_proc WHERE proname IN ('get_url_as_text','get_url_as_bytea');Affected if Either function exists in the database
-
Check function execute permissionsQuery function permissions: SELECT proname, proacl FROM pg_proc WHERE proname IN ('get_url_as_text','get_url_as_bytea'); or check if PUBLIC has execute: SELECT proname, proacl::text FROM pg_proc WHERE proname IN ('get_url_as_text','get_url_as_bytea') AND proacl::text LIKE '%=X/%' OR proacl::text LIKE '%=X*%' OR proacl::text LIKE '%PUBLIC%';Affected if PUBLIC or unauthenticated roles have EXECUTE permission on either function
A user is affected if they run a vulnerable EPAS version AND the get_url_as_text or get_url_as_bytea functions exist with PUBLIC execute permissions, allowing any authenticated database user to read arbitrary local or remote files.
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.
dbcve · scoped11.21.3212.16.2013.12.17
Update EPAS to the patched versions (11.21.32, 12.16.20, 13.12.16, 14.9.0, or 15.4.0). As a compensating control, revoke public execute permissions on these functions until patching is completed.
Upgrade to EPAS 11.21.32, 12.16.20, 13.12.16, 14.9.0, or 15.4.0 depending on your current major version branch
- Identify the current EPAS version by running: psql --version or SELECT version();
- Plan and schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
- Perform a full backup of all databases before upgrading
- Upgrade to the fixed version: 11.21.32 (for v11), 12.16.20 (for v12), 13.12.16 (for v13), 14.9.0 (for v14), or 15.4.0 (for v15)
- After upgrade, verify the get_url_as_text and get_url_as_bytea functions are no longer publicly executable by checking permissions
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-41114 — 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-2023-41114 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
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.
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.
- 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