CVE
PostgreSQL plperl blessed-reference type confusion may execute arbitrary code
Affects PostgreSQL versions before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25 when the plperl extension is installed or a user can CREATE EXTENSION plperl. Fixed in 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25.
Written by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 from the sources below. Verify against them.
- Exploited
- No known exploitation
- Fix
- Fixed in 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20, 14.25
- Who is exposed
- Specific setups only
Do first: Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs. The plperl extension is installed, or the attacker has permission to CREATE EXTENSION plperl. The attacker has permission to create objects (temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema). PostgreSQL versions before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25 are affected.
- Published
- Last modified
- Whether it needs action now or is a reference record, by fixed rules, with why. Last checked is when cve.now last re-read it.What do these mean? →
- Reference
- Last checked
- A 0-100 score for how much a CVE matters across the industry: exploitation, exposure, how widely the software is used, severity and whether a fix exists.What do these mean? →
- 34/100 · provisional
- How many real-world setups can hit the bug, from the vendor's advisory and CISA data. It does not know your setup.What do these mean? →
- Specific setups only
- Whether working attack code is public (Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or GitHub). Public code makes attacks easier.What do these mean? →
- None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub
Summary
PostgreSQL's plperl component has a type confusion bug in how it handles blessed references, which may let a user who can create objects run arbitrary code. The attack can be carried out over the network by a user with low-level privileges and needs no action from anyone else.
Read the original description
Type confusion in PostgreSQL plperl may allow an object creator to execute arbitrary code, via blessing a non-hash reference into PostgreSQL::InServer::ARRAY. We have not confirmed or ruled out a way to control the pointer sufficiently to achieve security impact, but we are proceeding as though that is possible. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20, and 14.25 are affected.
Who should check
Teams running PostgreSQL 14 through 18 before the fixed releases where plperl is in use and users can CREATE EXTENSION plperl or create objects.
Read the source excerpt
“Versions before PostgreSQL 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20, and 14.25 are affected.”
cve.now Index
- Exploitation?/40Unknown. No CISA SSVC exploitation rating yet
- Exposure8/25Specific setups only, reachable over the network
- Reach17/20Affects PostgreSQL (a widely deployed server, runtime, framework or database)
- Severity8.8/10CVSS 8.8
- No patch0/5No signal
What would change the score
- Would score about 84 if added to CISA KEV
- Would score about 79 if CISA's SSVC rates exploitation active
- Would score about 41 if CISA's SSVC rates it automatable
What to do
Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs.
The plperl extension is installed, or the attacker has permission to CREATE EXTENSION plperl. The attacker has permission to create objects (temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema). PostgreSQL versions before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25 are affected.Upgrade to a fixed version: 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20, 14.25.
Check your systems with an agent
Paste this into a coding or ops agent. It checks your systems read-only and reports a table per asset.
Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-116309 (PostgreSQL plperl blessed-reference type confusion may execute arbitrary code), using the cve.now data below.
Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.
What cve.now has for CVE-2026-116309 (entry last updated 2026-11-12):
Affected:
- n/a PostgreSQL: from 18, fixed in 18.7; from 17, fixed in 17.12; from 16, fixed in 16.16; from 15, fixed in 15.20; fixed in 14.25
Fixed versions: 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20, 14.25.
Conditions (all must be true for the bug to be hit):
- The plperl extension is installed, or the attacker has permission to CREATE EXTENSION plperl. (source: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-116309)
- The attacker has permission to create objects (temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema). (source: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-116309)
- PostgreSQL versions before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25 are affected. (source: https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-116309/)
Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory.
Attacker needs: network access, low-privilege login, no user action.
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-116309 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-116309 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.
How to check:
- Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory.
Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-116309/
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-116309
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.
Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.
Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-116309
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example execute with name cve.get and arguments {"id": "CVE-2026-116309"}.Timeline
- CVE published
- First seen by cve.now
- Posted on X by cve.now
Affected versions
- n/a PostgreSQL
From 18 · fixed in 18.7; From 17 · fixed in 17.12; From 16 · fixed in 16.16; From 15 · fixed in 15.20; fixed in 14.25
Evidence 3
Vendor advisory · 1
Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.
- Link
CVE record · 2
Establishes: The identifier and description.
- Record
- Record
Corrections
None so far.
Something wrong on this page? Report an error. Every fix is listed here.
Questions about CVE-2026-116309
Is CVE-2026-116309 being exploited?
It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data
What does this mean?
PostgreSQL's plperl extension mishandles blessed Perl references, a type confusion flaw. The advisory says it may allow a user who can create objects to execute arbitrary code.Source: cve.org, postgresql.org
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-116309?
PostgreSQL: from 18 before 18.7; from 17 before 17.12; from 16 before 16.16; from 15 before 15.20; before 14.25.Source: cve.now feed data
Am I affected, and how do I check?
PostgreSQL versions before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25 are affected, but only where plperl is installed or the attacker can CREATE EXTENSION plperl, and the attacker can create objects in at least one schema. Check the server version with SELECT version(); and check installed extensions with the \dx command in psql.Source: cve.org, postgresql.org
How do I fix CVE-2026-116309?
Upgrade to the fixed release for the installed branch: 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 or 14.25.Source: cve.org, postgresql.org