CVE-2024-27304 in pgproto3
Summary
by MITRE • 03/06/2024
pgx is a PostgreSQL driver and toolkit for Go. SQL injection can occur if an attacker can cause a single query or bind message to exceed 4 GB in size. An integer overflow in the calculated message size can cause the one large message to be sent as multiple messages under the attacker's control. The problem is resolved in v4.18.2 and v5.5.4. As a workaround, reject user input large enough to cause a single query or bind message to exceed 4 GB in size.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-27304 affects pgx, a popular PostgreSQL driver and toolkit for the Go programming language. This security flaw represents a critical concern for applications that rely on PostgreSQL database connectivity through Go-based systems. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of message size calculations within the driver's communication protocol implementation, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system through carefully crafted inputs.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in an integer overflow condition that occurs when calculating the size of PostgreSQL query or bind messages. When an attacker can influence the size of a single query or bind message to exceed 4 gigabytes, the driver's internal size calculation logic fails to properly handle the overflow condition. This overflow results in the large message being fragmented and transmitted as multiple smaller messages, each under the attacker's control. The vulnerability specifically targets the protocol message handling mechanism that governs how data flows between the Go application and the PostgreSQL server.
This flaw creates significant operational impact as it allows for potential SQL injection attacks that can bypass normal input validation mechanisms. The attacker can manipulate the message fragmentation process to inject malicious SQL commands that may execute with the privileges of the database user. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by the fact that it operates at the protocol level, potentially allowing for data exfiltration, unauthorized database access, or even complete system compromise depending on the database permissions and configuration. The integer overflow condition makes it particularly challenging to detect and prevent through standard security controls.
The vulnerability has been addressed in pgx versions 4.18.2 and 5.5.4, which include proper size validation and overflow protection mechanisms. These updates implement robust checks to prevent message sizes from exceeding safe limits and ensure proper handling of large data transfers without creating the conditions that enable the exploitation. Organizations using affected versions of pgx should immediately upgrade to the patched releases to eliminate the risk. As a temporary workaround, administrators can implement input validation measures to reject user inputs that could potentially cause a single query or bind message to exceed 4 gigabytes in size, effectively preventing the conditions that trigger the integer overflow.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which describes integer overflow and underflow conditions, and represents a specific implementation flaw in the message size calculation logic. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communication manipulation and data manipulation, as attackers can use the fragmented message behavior to inject malicious commands. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and size checking in network protocol implementations, particularly in database driver software that handles user-provided data. Security practitioners should note that this issue highlights the critical need for comprehensive testing of boundary conditions in protocol implementations and the potential for seemingly benign overflow conditions to create serious security vulnerabilities.