CVE-2016-5423

Description

A flaw was found in the way PostgreSQL server handled certain SQL statements containing CASE/WHEN commands. A remote, authenticated attacker could use a specially crafted SQL statement to cause PostgreSQL to crash or disclose a few bytes of server memory or possibly execute arbitrary code.

Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details

Info alert:Important note

CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).

CVSS v3 Score Breakdown

Red HatNVDcve.org
Base Score8.58.3N/A
Attack VectorNetworkNetworkN/A
Attack ComplexityHighLowN/A
Privileges RequiredLowLowN/A
User InteractionNoneNoneN/A
ScopeChangedUnchangedN/A
ConfidentialityHighLowN/A
Integrity ImpactHighHighN/A
Availability ImpactHighHighN/A

Vector

Red Hat: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

NVD: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:H

Understanding the Weakness (CWE)

Confidentiality

Technical Impact: Read Memory

If the untrusted pointer is used in a read operation, an attacker might be able to read sensitive portions of memory.

Availability

Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart

If the untrusted pointer references a memory location that is not accessible to the product, or points to a location that is "malformed" or larger than expected by a read or write operation, the application may terminate unexpectedly.

Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability

Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Modify Memory

If the untrusted pointer is used in a function call, or points to unexpected data in a write operation, then code execution may be possible.

Acknowledgements

Red Hat would like to thank the PostgreSQL project for reporting this issue. Upstream acknowledges Heikki Linnakangas as the original reporter.

Frequently Asked Questions

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