dbcve.org
PostgreSQLDatabase / datastore

CVE-2026-2005

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 14.21 / 15.16 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Heap buffer overflow in PostgreSQL pgcrypto allows a ciphertext provider to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running the database. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.2, 17.8, 16.12, 15.16, and 14.21 are affected.

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

Heap buffer overflow vulnerability in PostgreSQL's pgcrypto extension allows an attacker who controls ciphertext data to achieve arbitrary code execution as the OS user running the database. This memory corruption flaw exists in the cryptographic decryption routines.

MitigationUpgrade PostgreSQL to version 18.2, 17.8, 16.12, 15.16, or 14.21 or later to obtain the security patch. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable or restrict untrusted ciphertext input to pgcrypto functions.

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
Affected:>= 14.0, < 14.21>= 15.0, < 15.16>= 16.0, < 16.12>= 17.0, < 17.8>= 18.0, < 18.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Check PostgreSQL version
    Run 'SELECT version();' or 'SHOW server_version;' to obtain the installed PostgreSQL version number
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 14.0-14.20, 15.0-15.15, 16.0-16.11, 17.0-17.7, or 18.0-18.1 (vulnerable versions before the patches)
  2. Verify pgcrypto extension is installed
    Run 'SELECT * FROM pg_extension WHERE extname = 'pgcrypto';' to check if the extension exists in the database
    Affected if The pgcrypto extension is installed in any database on the system (vulnerability is only exploitable when the extension is present)
  3. Identify databases using pgcrypto
    Query 'SELECT datname FROM pg_database d WHERE EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_extension e WHERE e.extname = 'pgcrypto' AND e.extdbid = d.oid);' to list databases with pgcrypto enabled
    Affected if Any user database has pgcrypto created and enabled (the attack surface exists)
  4. Check for recent cipher operations
    Query pg_stat_activity or application logs for recent calls to pgcrypto functions such as pgp_sym_encrypt, pgp_pub_encrypt, decrypt_xxx, or gen_random_bytes if such logging is enabled
    Affected if The pgcrypto functions that handle ciphertext are being invoked, creating conditions for the overflow

You are affected if your PostgreSQL version is one of the vulnerable versions listed AND the pgcrypto extension is installed and actively used for encryption operations in your environment.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 14.21 / 15.16 / 16.12 or later
Fixed in 14.2115.1616.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PostgreSQL to version 18.2, 17.8, 16.12, 15.16, or 14.21 or later to obtain the security patch. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable or restrict untrusted ciphertext input to pgcrypto functions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to PostgreSQL 14.21+, 15.16+, 16.12+, 17.8+, or 18.2+ (choose the latest available in your major version branch)

  1. 1. Take a full backup of all PostgreSQL databases using pg_dumpall or your preferred backup method
  2. 2. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade requires service interruption
  3. 3. Stop the PostgreSQL service (e.g., systemctl stop postgresql or pg_ctl stop)
  4. 4. Upgrade PostgreSQL to the fixed version: for 14.x branches upgrade to 14.21+, for 15.x upgrade to 15.16+, for 16.x upgrade to 16.12+, for 17.x upgrade to 17.8+
  5. 5. Run the pg_upgrade utility or initdb if performing a fresh installation to initialize the new version
  6. 6. Verify the upgraded version using psql -c 'SELECT version();'
  7. 7. Start the PostgreSQL service
  8. 8. Run pg_dumpall to verify database integrity and that all objects are accessible
Caveat Minor version upgrades typically have low risk but always test in staging first; review release notes for any deprecated features or configuration changes in your version branch

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

Fix this in PostgreSQL Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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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-2026-2005 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
  • 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