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Improper Privilege ManagementWeakness · CWE-269

CVE-2024-4545

HIGH · 7.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
83/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
All versions of EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server (EPAS) from 15.0 prior to 15.7.0 and from 16.0 prior to 16.3.0 may allow users using edbldr to bypass role permissions from pg_read_server_files. This could allow low privilege users to read files to which they would not otherwise have access.

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

All versions of EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server (EPAS) 15.x prior to 15.7.0 and 16.x prior to 16.3.0 contain an authorization bypass in the edbldr utility that allows authenticated users to bypass pg_read_server_files role restrictions, enabling low-privilege users to read arbitrary files on the server filesystem to which they should not have access.

MitigationUpgrade EPAS to version 15.7.0, 16.3.0, or later to remediate the vulnerability. Until upgrade is possible, restrict or revoke edbldr utility access from untrusted users and monitor for unauthorized file access attempts.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify EPAS installation
    Locate the edbldr utility or check for EnterpriseDB Postgres Advanced Server installation directories. Common paths include /opt/edb/as<x> or /usr/edb/as<x> where <x> is the major version. Run 'which edbldr' or 'find / -name edbldr 2>/dev/null' to locate the binary.
    Affected if edbldr utility is found on the system, indicating EPAS is installed.
  2. Determine EPAS version
    Run the edbldr utility with version flag (edbldr --version) or query the PostgreSQL version using psql with: SELECT version(); Look for the full version string showing 15.x or 16.x.
    Affected if The installed version is 15.x prior to 15.7.0, or 16.x prior to 16.3.0.
  3. Check edbldr utility permissions
    Run 'ls -la <path_to_edbldr>' to verify file permissions. Determine which OS users have execute access to the edbldr binary.
    Affected if Untrusted or low-privilege OS users have execute permission on edbldr.
  4. Identify users with EPAS access
    Query the database for users and roles: SELECT usename, rolname FROM pg_user JOIN pg_roles ON usesysid = oid; or list all database roles with: SELECT rolname FROM pg_roles;
    Affected if Low-privilege or untrusted database users exist who should not have elevated file access capabilities.
  5. Check pg_read_server_files role assignments
    Query role memberships: SELECT roleid::regrole, member::regrole FROM pg_authid a JOIN pg_auth_members m ON a.oid = m.roleid; Look for non-admin users granted pg_read_server_files or roles that include this privilege.
    Affected if Users granted pg_read_server_files role exist in the database.

A user is affected if EPAS version is 15.x before 15.7.0 or 16.x before 16.3.0 AND untrusted users have access to the edbldr utility and the database.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade EPAS to version 15.7.0, 16.3.0, or later to remediate the vulnerability. Until upgrade is possible, restrict or revoke edbldr utility access from untrusted users and monitor for unauthorized file access attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

EPAS 15.7.0 or later, or EPAS 16.3.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current EPAS version by running: psql --version or edb --version
  2. 2. For EPAS 15.x versions: Upgrade to version 15.7.0 or later
  3. 3. For EPAS 16.x versions: Upgrade to version 16.3.0 or later
  4. 4. Download the appropriate fixed version from EnterpriseDB
  5. 5. Back up all databases and configuration files before proceeding with the upgrade
  6. 6. Follow EnterpriseDB's standard upgrade procedure for your deployment type (in-place or migration)
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify the edbldr functionality still works as expected for authorized users
  8. 8. Confirm that the pg_read_server_files role permissions are now properly enforced

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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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-2024-4545 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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