CVE-2026-120153
Description
A flaw was found in PostgreSQL. An authenticated user with database-level CREATE privileges can execute arbitrary code as the administrative superuser through a Structured Query Language (SQL) injection vulnerability in extension-script substitutions. By supplying a crafted schema or owner name containing newlines or special characters to an affected extension script, an attacker can manipulate script execution to achieve privilege escalation.
Statement
Red Hat has rated this vulnerability as having an impact of Important because successful exploitation allows an authenticated database user to escalate privileges to the administrative superuser, potentially executing code on the underlying host system. The flaw requires specific prerequisites: the user must possess database-level CREATE privileges, and the database must use an external, non-bundled extension containing vulnerable script substitution patterns. Default PostgreSQL installations provided with Red Hat enterprise distributions do not include these vulnerable extension scripts, limiting risk to environments that deploy unverified third-party extensions.
Mitigation
Revoke database-level CREATE privileges from untrusted users, avoid installing non-bundled third-party extensions, and restrict PostgreSQL network connectivity to trusted management networks.
1. Revoke database creation permissions using SQL:
REVOKE CREATE ON DATABASE <database_name> FROM <username>;
2. Restrict PostgreSQL network access to trusted sources using firewalld:
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-service=postgresql
firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=trusted --add-source=<trusted_ip_or_subnet>
firewall-cmd --reload
Caveats:
Revoking CREATE rights prevents affected database users from creating new schemas or database objects, which may break applications that rely on dynamic object creation. Limiting firewall access prevents incoming database connections from unauthorized networks.
Warning:
Modifying firewall settings requires a reload using `firewall-cmd --reload`. If modifying access controls within `pg_hba.conf` or `postgresql.conf`, execute `systemctl reload postgresql` to apply changes without restarting the daemon or terminating active client connections.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.2 | N/A | 7.2 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | High | N/A | High |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Adversaries could execute system commands, typically by changing the SQL statement to redirect output to a file that can then be executed.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Application Data
Since SQL databases generally hold sensitive data, loss of confidentiality is a frequent problem with SQL injection vulnerabilities.
Authentication
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Bypass Protection Mechanism
If poor SQL commands are used to check user names and passwords or perform other kinds of authentication, it may be possible to connect to the product as another user with no previous knowledge of the password.
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
If authorization information is held in a SQL database, it may be possible to change this information through the successful exploitation of a SQL injection vulnerability.
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Application Data
Just as it may be possible to read sensitive information, it is also possible to modify or even delete this information with a SQL injection attack.
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