Authenticated code execution via mutable PL/Perl environment
Published Nov 14, 2024 · Updated Nov 3, 2025
Code execution in PostgreSQL PL/Perl before 17.1, 16.5, 15.9, 14.14, 13.17, and 12.21 allows remote authenticated users to run code. Trusted PL/Perl exposes Perl's %ENV hash directly, so unprivileged functions can mutate PATH and other process-wide environment variables instead of rejecting writes. A database role with USAGE on PL/Perl can poison the server process environment and often execute arbitrary code without an operating-system account.
Summary
What happened
Code execution in PostgreSQL PL/Perl before 17.1, 16.5, 15.9, 14.14, 13.17, and 12.21 allows remote authenticated users to run code. Trusted PL/Perl exposes Perl's %ENV hash directly, so unprivileged functions can mutate PATH and other process-wide environment variables instead of rejecting writes. A database role with USAGE on PL/Perl can poison the server process environment and often execute arbitrary code without an operating-system account.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-10979
- Published
- Nov 14, 2024
- Updated
- Nov 3, 2025
- Vendor
- PostgreSQL Global Development Group
- Product
- PostgreSQL
- Classifications
- CWE-15, CWE-610, T1574.007
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 14, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 3, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <12.21
- Affected versionversion=13 <13.17
- Affected versionversion=14 <14.14
- Affected versionversion=15 <15.9
- Affected versionversion=16 <16.5
- Affected versionversion=17 <17.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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