CVE-2022-1552: SQL Injection

Published May 2, 2022
·
Updated

A flaw was found in PostgreSQL. There is an issue with incomplete efforts to operate safely when a privileged user is maintaining another user's objects. The Autovacuum, REINDEX, CREATE INDEX, REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW, CLUSTER, and pgamcheck commands activated relevant protections too late or not at all during the process. This flaw allows an attacker with permission to create non-temporary objects in at least one schema to execute arbitrary SQL functions under a superuser identity.

Other sources

Vulnerability details:

Autovacuum, REINDEX, and others omit "security restricted operation" sandbox.

CVSS v3 Base Score: 8.8 [https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln-metrics/cvss/v3-calculator?vector=AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H]

Supported, Vulnerable Versions: 10 - 14. The security team typically does not test unsupported versions, but this problem is quite old.

Autovacuum, REINDEX, CREATE INDEX, REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW, CLUSTER, and pgamcheck made incomplete efforts to operate safely when a privileged user is maintaining another user's objects. Those commands activated relevant protections too late or not at all. An attacker having permission to create non-temp objects in at least one schema could execute arbitrary SQL functions under a superuser identity.

While promptly updating PostgreSQL is the best remediation for most users, a user unable to do that can work around the vulnerability by disabling autovacuum, not manually running the above commands, and not restoring from output of the pgdump command. Performance may degrade quickly under this workaround. VACUUM is safe, and all commands are fine when a trusted user owns the target object.

The PostgreSQL project thanks Alexander Lakhin for reporting this problem.

Red Hat

Affected Software

10 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/postgresql<14.3
14.3
redhat/postgresql<13.7
13.7
redhat/postgresql<12.11
12.11
redhat/postgresql<11.16
11.16
redhat/postgresql<10.21
10.21
PostgreSQL postgresql>=10.0<10.21
PostgreSQL postgresql>=11.0<11.16
PostgreSQL postgresql>=12.0<12.11
PostgreSQL postgresql>=13.0<13.7
PostgreSQL postgresql>=14.0<14.3

Event History

May 2, 2022
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·08:05 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Aug 31, 2022
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
DescriptionWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2022-1552?

CVE-2022-1552 is a vulnerability found in PostgreSQL that allows a privileged user to maintain another user's objects without proper protections.

2

How does CVE-2022-1552 affect PostgreSQL?

CVE-2022-1552 affects PostgreSQL versions 10.0 to 10.21, 11.0 to 11.16, 12.0 to 12.11, 13.0 to 13.7, and 14.0 to 14.3.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2022-1552?

CVE-2022-1552 has a severity rating of 8.8 (high).

4

How can I fix CVE-2022-1552?

To fix CVE-2022-1552, it is recommended to update PostgreSQL to version 14.3, 13.7, 12.11, 11.16, or 10.21 depending on the installed version.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2022-1552?

More information about CVE-2022-1552 can be found at the following references: [1] [2] [3].

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203