PostgreSQL pg_cancel_backend Exploit Allowing DoS on Background Worker
CVE-2023-5870 Published on December 10, 2023

Postgresql: role pg_signal_backend can signal certain superuser processes.
A flaw was found in PostgreSQL involving the pg_cancel_backend role that signals background workers, including the logical replication launcher, autovacuum workers, and the autovacuum launcher. Successful exploitation requires a non-core extension with a less-resilient background worker and would affect that specific background worker only. This issue may allow a remote high privileged user to launch a denial of service (DoS) attack.

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Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2023-5870 is exploitable with network access, and requires user privileges. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a small impact on availability.

Attack Vector:

NETWORK

Attack Complexity:

HIGH

Privileges Required:

HIGH

User Interaction:

NONE

Scope:

UNCHANGED

Confidentiality Impact:

NONE

Integrity Impact:

NONE

Availability Impact:

LOW

Timeline

2023-10-31

Reported to Red Hat.

2023-11-09

Made public. 9 days later.

Weakness Type

What is a Resource Exhaustion Vulnerability?

The software does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource, thereby enabling an actor to influence the amount of resources consumed, eventually leading to the exhaustion of available resources.

CVE-2023-5870 has been classified to as a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.

Products Associated with CVE-2023-5870

You can be notified by email with stack.watch whenever vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-5870 are published in these products:

Canonical Ubuntu Linux

PostgreSQL

Red Hat Software Collections

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Tus

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Aus

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Eus

Red Hat Enterprise Linux For Arm 64

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Power Little Endian Eus

Red Hat Codeready Linux Builder Arm64 Eus

Red Hat Codeready Linux Builder Ibm Z Systems Eus

Red Hat Codeready Linux Builder Eus Power Little Endian Eus

Red Hat Codeready Linux Builder Eus

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Power Little Endian

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Ibm Z Systems Eus

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Ibm Z Systems

Red Hat Codeready Linux Builder Power Little Endian Eus

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security

Red Hat Rhel Aus

Red Hat Rhel E4s

Red Hat Rhel Tus

Red Hat Rhel Eus

Red Hat Rhel Software Collections

Affected Versions

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2:

Version 4.2.4-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2:

Version 4.2.4-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2:

Version 4.2.4-7 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2:

Version 4.2.4-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2:

Version 4.2.4-7 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8:

Version 8090020231114113712.a75119d5 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8:

Version 8090020231128173330.a75119d5 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8:

Version 8090020231114113548.a75119d5 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support:

Version 8020020231128165246.4cda2c84 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service:

Version 8020020231128165246.4cda2c84 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions:

Version 8020020231128165246.4cda2c84 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support:

Version 8040020231127153301.522a0ee4 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support:

Version 8040020231127154806.522a0ee4 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service:

Version 8040020231127153301.522a0ee4 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service:

Version 8040020231127154806.522a0ee4 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions:

Version 8040020231127153301.522a0ee4 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions:

Version 8040020231127154806.522a0ee4 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support:

Version 8060020231114115246.ad008a3a and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support:

Version 8060020231128165328.ad008a3a and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Extended Update Support:

Version 8080020231114105206.63b34585 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Extended Update Support:

Version 8080020231128165335.63b34585 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Extended Update Support:

Version 8080020231113134015.63b34585 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9:

Version 0:13.13-1.el9_3 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9:

Version 9030020231120082734.rhel9 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support:

Version 0:13.13-1.el9_0 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support:

Version 0:13.13-1.el9_2 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support:

Version 9020020231115020618.rhel9 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7:

Version 0:12.17-1.el7 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7:

Version 0:13.13-1.el7 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8:

Version 3.74.8-9 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8:

Version 3.74.8-9 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8:

Version 3.74.8-7 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8:

Version 3.74.8-9 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8:

Version 3.74.8-9 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8:

Version 4.1.6-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8:

Version 4.1.6-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8:

Version 4.1.6-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8:

Version 4.1.6-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8:

Version 4.1.6-6 and below * is unaffected.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Software Collections:

Exploit Probability

EPSS

0.80%

Percentile

73.68%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.