Arbitrary SQL execution via unquoted object names
Published May 14, 2026 · Updated May 14, 2026
SQL injection in PostgreSQL 16 before 16.14, 17 before 17.10, and 18 before 18.4 allows remote authenticated users to execute SQL. ALTER SUBSCRIPTION ... REFRESH PUBLICATION interpolates subscriber-controlled schema and relation names into publisher-side SQL without quoting them. A user who can create a subscriber table must wait for a subscription refresh, which executes the injected statement with the subscription's publication-side credentials.
Summary
What happened
SQL injection in PostgreSQL 16 before 16.14, 17 before 17.10, and 18 before 18.4 allows remote authenticated users to execute SQL. ALTER SUBSCRIPTION ... REFRESH PUBLICATION interpolates subscriber-controlled schema and relation names into publisher-side SQL without quoting them. A user who can create a subscriber table must wait for a subscription refresh, which executes the injected statement with the subscription's publication-side credentials.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-6638
- Published
- May 14, 2026
- Updated
- May 14, 2026
- Vendor
- PostgreSQL Global Development Group
- Product
- PostgreSQL
- Classifications
- T1210
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 14, 2026Record 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=16 <16.14
- Affected versionversion=17 <17.10
- Affected versionversion=18 <18.4
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.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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