CVE
PostgreSQL REINDEX CONCURRENTLY does not block DROP INDEX during index functions
Affects PostgreSQL versions before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 and 14.25, where a user with permission to create objects can run code as the database's OS user. 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. Running a PostgreSQL version before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 or 14.25 Attacker has permission to create objects, either temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema
- 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
Operation on a dropped index in PostgreSQL REINDEX CONCURRENTLY allows an object creator to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running the database, via an index expression that issues DROP INDEX. 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 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 or 14.25, where attackers can 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.
Running a PostgreSQL version before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 or 14.25 Attacker has permission to create objects, either temporary or non-temporary in at least one schemaUpgrade 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-2026-116336 (PostgreSQL REINDEX CONCURRENTLY does not block DROP INDEX during index functions), 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-2026-116336 (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):
- Running a PostgreSQL version before 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 or 14.25 (source: https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-116336/)
- Attacker has permission to create objects, either temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema (source: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-116336)
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-2026-116336 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-116336 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-2026-116336/
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-116336
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-2026-116336
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-2026-116336"}.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-2026-116336
Is CVE-2026-116336 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?
REINDEX CONCURRENTLY does not block DROP INDEX while index functions run. An object creator can use this to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running the database.Source: postgresql.org, cve.org
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-116336?
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. The attacker needs permission to create temporary or non-temporary objects in at least one schema. To check a installation's version, run SHOW server_version; in psql or check the version reported by the server binary.Source: postgresql.org, cve.org
How do I fix CVE-2026-116336?
Upgrade to 18.7, 17.12, 16.16, 15.20 or 14.25, matching your major version branch. The facts name no separate patch identifiers or workaround.Source: postgresql.org, cve.org