CVE
PostgreSQL dropped-column type confusion executes arbitrary code
Affects PostgreSQL 17 before 17.12 and 18 before 18.7 when the attacker can create objects in at least one schema. Fixed in 18.7 and 17.12.
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
- Who is exposed
- Specific setups only
Do first: Check whether your setup matches what the bug needs. Affects PostgreSQL major versions 17-18 with minor versions before 18.7 and 17.12. Attacker has permission to create objects (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
Type confusion in PostgreSQL anonymous RECORD types allows an object creator to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running the database, via row types having dropped attributes in the same positions but with different widths or alignments. Within major versions 17-18, minor versions before PostgreSQL 18.7 and 17.12 are affected. Versions before PostgreSQL 17 are unaffected.
Who should check
Teams running PostgreSQL 17.x or 18.x servers, including those on PostgreSQL-based stacks, where users can create objects in a schema or temporary objects.
Read the source excerpt
“Within major versions 17-18, minor versions before PostgreSQL 18.7 and 17.12 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.
Affects PostgreSQL major versions 17-18 with minor versions before 18.7 and 17.12. Attacker has permission to create objects (temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema).Upgrade to a fixed version: 18.7, 17.12.
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-2026-120142 (PostgreSQL dropped-column type confusion executes 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-2026-120142 (entry last updated 2026-11-12):
Affected:
- n/a PostgreSQL: from 18, fixed in 18.7; from 17, fixed in 17.12
Fixed versions: 18.7, 17.12.
Conditions (all must be true for the bug to be hit):
- Affects PostgreSQL major versions 17-18 with minor versions before 18.7 and 17.12. (source: https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-120142/)
- Attacker has permission to create objects (temporary or non-temporary in at least one schema). (source: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-120142)
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-2026-120142 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-120142 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-2026-120142/
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-120142
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-2026-120142
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-2026-120142"}.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
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-2026-120142
Is CVE-2026-120142 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?
A flaw in how PostgreSQL handles a column after it has been dropped lets a user who can create objects confuse the column's type. 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-2026-120142?
PostgreSQL: from 18 before 18.7; from 17 before 17.12.Source: cve.now feed data
Am I affected, and how do I check?
PostgreSQL major versions 17 and 18 are affected when the minor version is before 17.12 or before 18.7. The attacker must have permission to create objects, temporary or non-temporary, in at least one schema. Check the installed version with SELECT version(); in psql or the server's version output.Source: postgresql.org, cve.org
How do I fix CVE-2026-120142?
Upgrade to PostgreSQL 18.7 for the 18 series or 17.12 for the 17 series. The facts list no workaround for this issue.Source: postgresql.org, cve.org