CVE-2023-41120
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 permits an authenticated user to use DBMS_PROFILER to remove all accumulated profiling data on a system-wide basis, 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 an improper authorization vulnerability in DBMS_PROFILER where an authenticated user (regardless of privilege level) can delete all accumulated profiling data system-wide, rather than being restricted to only their own data.
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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
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Identify Postgres Advanced Server installationConnect to the database and run 'SELECT version();' to confirm this is EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server rather than standard PostgreSQLAffected if The output shows 'EnterpriseDB' or 'Postgres Advanced Server' as the database product
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Check installed versionRun 'SELECT pg_catalog.pg_postmaster_start_time();' and query the version from system catalogs, or use edb-psql --version at the OS levelAffected if Version is less than 11.21.32, OR between 12.0.0 and 12.16.20, OR between 13.0.0 and 13.12.17, OR between 14.0.0 and 14.9.0, OR between 15.0.0 and 15.4.0
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Verify DBMS_PROFILER is availableCheck if DBMS_PROFILER package exists by querying 'SELECT * FROM pg_namespace WHERE nspname = 'dbms_profiler';' or attempt to access profiler-related tables/functionsAffected if DBMS_PROFILER schema exists in the database
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Confirm user access to profiler delete functionTest whether an authenticated user (even without elevated privileges) can execute the profiler data deletion routine - query system catalogs for profiler cleanup procedures and check user permissions with 'SELECT grantee, privilege_type FROM information_schema.usage_privileges WHERE routine_schema = 'dbms_profiler';'Affected if User has EXECUTE permission on profiler cleanup routines without proper ownership restrictions
Environment is affected if running a vulnerable version of EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server (as listed above) with DBMS_PROFILER enabled and users have unrestricted access to delete profiling data across the system.
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
Apply the vendor patches for affected versions (11.21.32, 12.16.20, 13.12.16, 14.9.0, 15.4.0 or later) to restore proper authorization controls on DBMS_PROFILER data deletion.
Upgrade to EPAS 11.21.32 (for 11.x), 12.16.20 (for 12.x), 13.12.17 (for 13.x), 14.9.0 (for 14.x), or 15.4.0 (for 15.x)
- Identify the currently installed EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server version using: psql --version or SELECT version();
- Determine which upgrade path applies based on current version: 11.x -> 11.21.32, 12.x -> 12.16.20, 13.x -> 13.12.17, 14.x -> 14.9.0, or 15.x -> 15.4.0
- Download the appropriate EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server installer or packages from www.enterprisedb.com
- Back up all existing databases and configuration files before proceeding
- Stop the PostgreSQL/EPAS service using: systemctl stop edb-as-<version> or pg_ctl stop
- Install the upgraded version following EnterpriseDB's standard upgrade procedures
- Verify the DBMS_PROFILER permission fix by testing that unprivileged users can no longer remove system-wide profiling data
- Start the service and confirm normal operation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-41120 — 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-2023-41120 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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