CVE-2024-10979
Description
A flaw was found in PostgreSQL PL/Perl. This vulnerability allows an unprivileged database user to change sensitive process environment variables (e.g., PATH) via incorrect control of environment variables.
Statement
This vulnerability has been given a severity rating of important because the ability to modify sensitive process environment variables (ex. PATH) can lead to unauthorized code execution and privilege escalation. Depending on the privileges of the PostgreSQL user, an attacker may be able to gain higher-level access to the underlying server and create functions who modify environment variables and execute arbitrary commands.
Mitigation
Currently the following options exist to help mitigate the impact of this vulnerability:
1) Restrict Permissions: the creation of PL/Python and PL/Perl functions should be limited to trusted users only.
2) Environment Variable Sanitization: ensure that environment variables are properly sanitized and any modifications are restricted.
3) Upgrade PostgreSQL: if a fix is released by the PostgreSQL Global Development Group, update to the latest version.
4) Audit Database Functions: perform regular audits on user-created functions to detect and prevent potential exploitation.
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 Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | Low |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | High | High |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Other
Technical Impact: Varies by Context
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