dbcve.org
Path TraversalWeakness · CWE-22

CVE-2024-56142

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
pghoard is a PostgreSQL backup daemon and restore tooling that stores backup data in cloud object stores. A vulnerability has been discovered that could allow an attacker to acquire disk access with privileges equivalent to those of pghoard, allowing for unintended path traversal. Depending on the permissions/privileges assigned to pghoard, this could allow disclosure of sensitive information. This issue has been addressed in releases after 2.2.2a. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

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 · moderate confidence

pghoard contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows an attacker with the ability to influence backup or restore operations to access files outside the intended directories. By manipulating file paths, an attacker can acquire disk access with the privileges of the pghoard process, potentially leading to disclosure of sensitive files on the system.

MitigationUpgrade pghoard to versions after 2.2.2a. There are no known workarounds; upgrading is the only remediation path.

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify pghoard installation and version
    Run 'pip show pghoard' or 'pghoard --version' to retrieve the installed version number. On systems with RPM packages, use 'rpm -q pghoard' to check the package version.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.2.2a or earlier, since the vulnerability was fixed in versions after 2.2.2a.
  2. Determine if pghoard backup/restore API is exposed
    Inspect pghoard configuration files (typically in /etc/pghoard/ or the configured config directory) for 'web_server' or 'api' settings. Check if port 16000 (default pghoard API port) is listening on any network interface other than localhost by running 'netstat -tlnp | grep 16000' or 'ss -tlnp | grep 16000'.
    Affected if The pghoard API is accessible from network interfaces other than localhost, allowing remote attackers to influence backup or restore operations.
  3. Check backup storage configuration for path restrictions
    Review pghoard configuration under 'backup' or 'storage' sections. Look for 'basebackup' or 'restore' configuration blocks to determine if path validation is enforced. Search configuration files for any path-related settings.
    Affected if Backup or restore operations can accept user-controlled file paths without validation, enabling path traversal attacks.
  4. Verify restore functionality exposure
    Examine if the restore API endpoint (typically /api/2/restore or similar paths) accepts custom target directories. Check pghoard logs for any restore requests with absolute or '../' path patterns if logging is available.
    Affected if The restore operation accepts arbitrary target directories without sanitization, allowing attackers to write or read files outside intended directories.

A system is affected if pghoard version 2.2.2a or earlier is installed AND the backup/restore API is network-accessible, allowing external manipulation of file paths during backup or restore operations.

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 pghoard to versions after 2.2.2a. There are no known workarounds; upgrading is the only remediation path.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Any release after 2.2.2a (latest stable version recommended)

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed pghoard version using package manager or pip show command
  2. 2. Upgrade pghoard to a version greater than 2.2.2a (e.g., pip install --upgrade pghoard or use system package manager)
  3. 3. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version number
  4. 4. Restart the pghoard service to ensure the patched version is running
  5. 5. Test backup and restore functionality to confirm normal operation

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
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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-2024-56142 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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