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CVE-2026-6478

MEDIUMCVSS 6.5/10EPSS 0.56%

Last modified

CVE-2026-6478 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.5/10 on the CVSS scale. Covert timing channel in comparison of MD5-hashed password in PostgreSQL authentication allows an attacker to recover user credentials sufficient to authenticate. This does not affect scram-sha-256 passwords, the default in all supported releases. EPSS estimates a 0.56% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Covert timing channel in comparison of MD5-hashed password in PostgreSQL authentication allows an attacker to recover user credentials sufficient to authenticate. This does not affect scram-sha-256 passwords, the default in all supported releases. However, current databases may have MD5-hashed passwords originating in upgrades from PostgreSQL 13 or earlier. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.4, 17.10, 16.14, 15.18, and 14.23 are affected.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
6.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

EPSS Probability
0.56%

44.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersions
PostgresqlPostgresql< 14.23
PostgresqlPostgresql>= 15.0, < 15.18
PostgresqlPostgresql>= 16.0, < 16.14
PostgresqlPostgresql>= 17.0, < 17.10
PostgresqlPostgresql>= 18.0, < 18.4

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-6478?
Covert timing channel in comparison of MD5-hashed password in PostgreSQL authentication allows an attacker to recover user credentials sufficient to authenticate. This does not affect scram-sha-256 passwords, the default in all supported releases. However, current databases may have MD5-hashed passwords originating in upgrades from PostgreSQL 13 or earlier. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.4, 17.10, 16.14, 15.18, and 14.23 are affected.
How severe is CVE-2026-6478?
CVE-2026-6478 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.56% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-6478?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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Source: NVD / NIST