Description
Buffer overflow in gram.y for PostgreSQL 8.0.0 and earlier may allow attackers to execute arbitrary code via a large number of arguments to a refcursor function (gram.y), which leads to a heap-based buffer overflow, a different vulnerability than CVE-2005-0247.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 3.0 | postgresql | 7.2.1-2woody8 | DSA-683-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 4 | postgresql +10 | 7.4.7-2.RHEL4.1 | RHSA-2005:138 |
| RHEL 3 | rh-postgresql +10 | 7.3.9-2 | RHSA-2005:141 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- PostgreSQL 7.x - Multiple Vulnerabilities EDB-25076 · dos · Feb 1, 2005 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2005:141 Red Hat Security Advisory: rh-postgresql security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2005:138 Red Hat Security Advisory: postgresql security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-683-1 postgresql - buffer overflows Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- postgresql-cursor-bo(19188) vdb-entry
- [pgsql-committers] 20050207 pgsql: Prevent 4 more buffer overruns in the PL/PgSQL parser. mailing-list
- MDKSA-2005:040 vendor-advisory
- 20050210 [USN-79-1] PostgreSQL vulnerabilities mailing-list
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:10175 vdb-entry signature
- [pgsql-patches] 20050120 Re: WIP: pl/pgsql cleanup mailing-list
- RHSA-2005:138 vendor-advisory
- 12948 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2005:150 vendor-advisory
- [pgsql-committers] 20050121 pgsql: Prevent overrunning a heap-allocated buffer is more than 1024 mailing-list
- 12417 vdb-entry
- DSA-683 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SA:2005:036 vendor-advisory