CVE-2017-12172

MEDIUM

PostgreSQL 9.2.x-9.6.x < 10.1 - Privilege Escalation via Symbolic Link Attack on Log File

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Description

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.

References (8)

Core 8
Core References
Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_redhat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3402
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101949
Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_redhat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3403
Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_redhat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3405
Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_sectrack
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039752
Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1801/
Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_redhat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:3404

Scores

CVSS v3 6.7
EPSS 0.0005
EPSS Percentile 16.5%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

CWE
CWE-59
Status published
Products (50)
postgresql/postgresql 9.2
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.1
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.2
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.3
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.4
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.5
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.6
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.7
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.8
postgresql/postgresql 9.2.9
... and 40 more
Published Nov 22, 2017
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026