PostgreSQL JDBC Driver (PgJDBC for short) allows Java programs to connect to a PostgreSQL database using standard, database independent Java code. The PGJDBC implementation of the java.sql.ResultRow.refreshRow() method is not performing escaping of column names so a malicious column name that contains a statement terminator, e.g. ;, could lead to SQL injection. This could lead to executing additional SQL commands as the application's JDBC user. User applications that do not invoke the ResultSet.refreshRow() method are not impacted. User application that do invoke that method are impacted if the underlying database that they are querying via their JDBC application may be under the control of an attacker. The attack requires the attacker to trick the user into executing SQL against a table name who's column names would contain the malicious SQL and subsequently invoke the refreshRow() method on the ResultSet. Note that the application's JDBC user and the schema owner need not be the same. A JDBC application that executes as a privileged user querying database schemas owned by potentially malicious less-privileged users would be vulnerable. In that situation it may be possible for the malicious user to craft a schema that causes the application to execute commands as the privileged user. Patched versions will be released as 42.2.26 and 42.4.1. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
| Software | From | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| postgresql / postgresql_jdbc_driver | - | 42.2.26 |
| postgresql / postgresql_jdbc_driver | 42.4.0 | 42.4.0.x |
| postgresql / postgresql_jdbc_driver | 42.4.0-rc1 | 42.4.0-rc1.x |
| postgresql / postgresql_jdbc_driver | 42.4.1-rc1 | 42.4.1-rc1.x |
| postgresql / postgresql_jdbc_driver | 42.3.0 | 42.3.7 |
| debian / debian_linux | 10.0 | 10.0.x |
| fedoraproject / fedora | 35 | 35.x |
| fedoraproject / fedora | 36 | 36.x |
org.postgresql / postgresql
|
- | 42.2.26 |
org.postgresql / postgresql
|
42.4.0 | 42.4.1 |
org.postgresql / postgresql
|
42.3.0 | 42.3.7 |
A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.
A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.
Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.
Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.
SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.