CVE-2012-0867 in PostgreSQL
Summary
by MITRE
PostgreSQL 8.4.x before 8.4.11, 9.0.x before 9.0.7, and 9.1.x before 9.1.3 truncates the common name to only 32 characters when verifying SSL certificates, which allows remote attackers to spoof connections when the host name is exactly 32 characters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2021
PostgreSQL versions 8.4.x before 8.4.11, 9.0.x before 9.0.7, and 9.1.x before 9.1.3 contain a critical certificate validation vulnerability that stems from an insufficient implementation of SSL certificate verification. This flaw specifically affects the handling of the common name field within X.509 certificates during the SSL connection establishment process. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes certificate validation, where it limits the common name field to exactly 32 characters regardless of the actual certificate content. This truncation behavior creates a significant security gap that can be exploited by remote attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks.
The technical flaw resides in the certificate verification logic that fails to properly validate certificate subject names when they exceed the 32-character limit. When a certificate contains a common name longer than 32 characters, the system silently truncates it to this arbitrary limit during validation. This truncation allows attackers to craft malicious certificates where the first 32 characters match the legitimate hostname, but the remaining characters contain malicious content or alternative hostnames. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation and weak certificate chain validation. The flaw represents a specific implementation weakness in how certificate subject names are processed rather than a fundamental protocol issue.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for PostgreSQL deployments that rely on SSL certificate verification for authentication and data protection. Attackers can exploit this weakness to establish fraudulent SSL connections to PostgreSQL servers, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive database information. The attack vector requires remote access and a valid SSL connection attempt, but once successful, the attacker can intercept or manipulate database communications. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where certificate-based authentication is used, as it undermines the trust model that SSL certificates are designed to provide. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized database access.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate patching of affected PostgreSQL installations to versions 8.4.11, 9.0.7, or 9.1.3 respectively. System administrators should also implement additional security controls such as certificate pinning to prevent exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 which covers credentials from password storage, as it enables attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms. Network-level controls including firewall rules and intrusion detection systems can help detect unusual SSL connection patterns, though the most effective defense remains the application of vendor security patches. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security audits of their database environments to identify and remediate similar certificate validation issues across their infrastructure.