Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2026-2005 is a high-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Postgresql Postgresql. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 34% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-2005 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-122) in the pgcrypto extension of PostgreSQL, published on 2026-02-12. It affects versions prior to PostgreSQL 18.2, 17.8, 16.12, 15.16, and 14.21. The issue arises when processing ciphertext, enabling a ciphertext provider to trigger the overflow and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the operating system user running the database. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for remote exploitation with low privileges.
An attacker requires low privileges (PR:L), such as a database user with access to invoke pgcrypto functions, and can exploit this over the network (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N). Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution as the OS user running PostgreSQL, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement depending on the database server's context and privileges.
Mitigation is addressed in the PostgreSQL security advisory at https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-2005/, with fixes available in versions 18.2, 17.8, 16.12, 15.16, and 14.21. Security practitioners should prioritize upgrading affected installations and review access to pgcrypto functions to limit exposure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-6182
Vulnerability Data
Heap buffer overflow in PostgreSQL pgcrypto allows a ciphertext provider to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running the database. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.2, 17.8, 16.12, 15.16, and 14.21 are affected.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (including fuzzing and memory-error detectors) can discover heap overflows after they have been coded.
Input validation enforces bounds checking on data written to heap buffers, directly stopping the overflow condition from being introduced.
Security engineering principles require use of memory-safe constructs and bounds-checked allocation routines that avoid introducing heap overflows.
Memory-protection mechanisms limit the ability of a heap overflow to execute attacker-controlled code or corrupt adjacent structures.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices directly require bounds checking and safe memory handling that prevent heap overflows.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover heap-overflow flaws but does not prevent their introduction in code.
Timely patching removes known heap-overflow instances after they exist.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure coding directly requires bounds-checked memory operations, addressing the root cause of CWE-120.
Security testing in development and acceptance can detect heap overflows before release.
Secure development lifecycle mandates practices that reduce the likelihood of introducing heap overflows.
Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory APIs that mitigate heap overflows.
Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safety and input-validation controls that address heap overflows.
Change management ensures controlled deployment of fixes for discovered heap-overflow vulnerabilities.