dbcve.org
CloudnativepgApplication · Linuxfoundation

CVE-2026-44477

CRITICAL · 9.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.28.3 / 1.29.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click Patch available

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
CloudNativePG is a platform designed to manage PostgreSQL databases within Kubernetes environments. Prior to 1.29.1 and 1.28.3, the CloudNativePG metrics exporter opens its PostgreSQL connection as the postgres superuser via the pod-local Unix socket, then demotes the session with SET ROLE pg_monitor. SET ROLE changes only current_user; session_user remains postgres. Any SQL expression evaluated inside the scrape session can invoke RESET ROLE to recover real superuser privileges, then use COPY ... TO PROGRAM to spawn an OS-level subprocess as the postgres user inside the primary pod. The READ ONLY transaction flag does not block this; it gates writes to database state, not external processes. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.29.1 and 1.28.3.

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

CloudNativePG metrics exporter improperly handles privilege separation - it opens a PostgreSQL connection as the postgres superuser via Unix socket, uses SET ROLE pg_monitor to demote, but session_user remains postgres. Attackers with scrape access can invoke RESET ROLE to recover full superuser privileges and use COPY ... TO PROGRAM to execute OS commands as the postgres user inside the primary pod. The READ ONLY transaction flag does not block this attack vector.

MitigationUpgrade CloudNativePG to version 1.29.1 or 1.28.3 which contains the fix for this privilege escalation vulnerability.

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
CloudnativepgApplication
Affected:< 1.28.3>= 1.29.0, < 1.29.1

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify CloudNativePG installation and version
    Run 'kubectl get deployment -A | grep cloudnativepg' or check the CloudNativePG operator version in the namespace. Use 'kubectl get clusters -A' to find running clusters and their operator versions.
    Affected if The installed CloudNativePG version is less than 1.28.3, or between 1.29.0 and 1.29.1 exclusive.
  2. Locate the metrics exporter pod
    Run 'kubectl get pods -A | grep -i metrics' or check for pods with 'metrics-exporter' in the name within the CloudNativePG namespaces.
    Affected if A metrics exporter pod exists and is running in the cluster.
  3. Verify metrics exporter uses SET ROLE pg_monitor
    Inspect the metrics exporter container specification or logs. Look for the use of SET ROLE pg_monitor command in the exporter's startup configuration or PostgreSQL session initialization.
    Affected if The metrics exporter is configured to connect as postgres superuser and use SET ROLE pg_monitor for privilege demotion.
  4. Check for vulnerable pod execution context
    Review the security context of the metrics exporter pod. Confirm it runs as the postgres user and has access to the primary pod's Unix socket or network connection to the PostgreSQL instance.
    Affected if The metrics exporter runs with privileges that allow it to execute COPY ... TO PROGRAM against the PostgreSQL primary.

You are affected if CloudNativePG version falls within the vulnerable range (<1.28.3 or >=1.29.0,<1.29.1) AND the metrics exporter is enabled and configured to connect as the postgres superuser.

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 1.28.3 / 1.29.1 or later
Fixed in 1.28.31.29.1
Vendor patch github.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade CloudNativePG to version 1.29.1 or 1.28.3 which contains the fix for this privilege escalation vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.28.3 (for 1.28.x line) or 1.29.1 (for 1.29.x line)

  1. Determine the current CloudNativePG version running in your cluster
  2. If running a version < 1.28.3: upgrade to version 1.28.3 or later in the 1.28.x series
  3. If running version >= 1.29.0 and < 1.29.1: upgrade to version 1.29.1 or later in the 1.29.x series
  4. After upgrade, verify the metrics exporter no longer uses SET ROLE that can be reverted via RESET ROLE
  5. Confirm the fix by testing that RESET ROLE inside a metrics scrape session no longer grants superuser privileges
Caveat Upgrading CloudNativePG may require following standard upgrade procedures for the operator; review release notes for any migration considerations

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

Fix this in Cloudnativepg Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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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-2026-44477 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