high
7.2
CWE
59
Advisory Published
CVE Published
Updated

CVE-2017-12172

First published: Wed Oct 04 2017(Updated: )

PostgreSQL 10.x before 10.1, 9.6.x before 9.6.6, 9.5.x before 9.5.10, 9.4.x before 9.4.15, 9.3.x before 9.3.20, and 9.2.x before 9.2.24 runs under a non-root operating system account, and database superusers have effective ability to run arbitrary code under that system account. PostgreSQL provides a script for starting the database server during system boot. Packages of PostgreSQL for many operating systems provide their own, packager-authored startup implementations. Several implementations use a log file name that the database superuser can replace with a symbolic link. As root, they open(), chmod() and/or chown() this log file name. This often suffices for the database superuser to escalate to root privileges when root starts the server.

Credit: secalert@redhat.com

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
redhat/postgresql<9.2.24
9.2.24
redhat/postgresql<9.3.20
9.3.20
redhat/postgresql<9.4.15
9.4.15
redhat/postgresql<9.5.10
9.5.10
redhat/postgresql<9.6.6
9.6.6
redhat/postgresql<10.1
10.1
PostgreSQL Common=9.2
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.1
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.2
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.3
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.4
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.5
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.6
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.7
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.8
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.9
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.10
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.11
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.12
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.13
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.14
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.15
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.16
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.17
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.18
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.19
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.20
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.21
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.22
PostgreSQL Common=9.2.23
PostgreSQL Common=9.3
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.1
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.2
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.3
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.4
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.5
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.6
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.7
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.8
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.9
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.10
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.11
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.12
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.13
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.14
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.15
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.16
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.17
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.18
PostgreSQL Common=9.3.19
PostgreSQL Common=9.4
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.1
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.2
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.3
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.4
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.5
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.6
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.7
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.8
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.9
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.10
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.11
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.12
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.13
PostgreSQL Common=9.4.14
PostgreSQL Common=9.5
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.1
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.2
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.3
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.4
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.5
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.6
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.7
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.8
PostgreSQL Common=9.5.9
PostgreSQL Common=9.6
PostgreSQL Common=9.6.1
PostgreSQL Common=9.6.2
PostgreSQL Common=9.6.3
PostgreSQL Common=9.6.4
PostgreSQL Common=9.6.5
PostgreSQL Common=10

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Reference Links

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the severity of CVE-2017-12172?

    CVE-2017-12172 has a high severity rating as it allows database superusers to execute arbitrary code.

  • How do I fix CVE-2017-12172?

    To fix CVE-2017-12172, upgrade PostgreSQL to version 10.1 or later, 9.6.6 or later, 9.5.10 or later, 9.4.15 or later, 9.3.20 or later, or 9.2.24 or later.

  • What versions of PostgreSQL are affected by CVE-2017-12172?

    CVE-2017-12172 affects PostgreSQL versions up to 10.0, 9.6.5, 9.5.9, 9.4.14, 9.3.19, and 9.2.23.

  • What causes the vulnerability in CVE-2017-12172?

    The vulnerability in CVE-2017-12172 is caused by PostgreSQL running under a non-root operating system account, allowing superusers to exploit it.

  • Is there a workaround for CVE-2017-12172 if I cannot upgrade?

    Currently, there isn't a recommended workaround for CVE-2017-12172 except to upgrade to a patched version of PostgreSQL.

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