CVE-2026-92867 in Pgpool-II
Summary
by MITRE • 09/30/2026
An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Pgpool-II , which may allow an authenticated attacker to cause abnormal process termination or arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a critical security flaw within the Pgpool-II software suite, specifically manifesting as an out-of-bounds write condition. This type of memory corruption error occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers, potentially overwriting adjacent memory structures that are crucial for application stability and control flow. In the context of database proxy applications like Pgpool-II, which sits between client requests and backend PostgreSQL servers to manage connections, load balancing, and replication, such vulnerabilities pose significant risks due to the high volume of traffic processed and the privileged nature of the operations performed by the service.
From a technical perspective, an out-of-bounds write allows for severe memory corruption that can lead to two primary outcomes: abnormal process termination or arbitrary code execution. The former results in a denial of service condition where the Pgpool-II worker processes crash unexpectedly, disrupting database connectivity and availability for all connected clients. This instability undermines the reliability guarantees provided by the proxy layer. More critically, if an attacker can carefully craft input data to control the memory layout and overwrite specific pointers or return addresses within the process heap or stack, they may achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Pgpool-II service account. Given that database proxies often run with elevated system permissions to manage backend connections effectively, successful exploitation could grant a remote authenticated attacker full control over the underlying operating system.
The threat model for this vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires authentication. While this limits the attack surface compared to unauthenticated exploits, it does not eliminate risk in environments where legitimate users may have compromised credentials or where internal network segmentation is insufficient. An authenticated user could potentially manipulate query parameters, connection strings, or protocol-level messages sent through Pgpool-II to trigger the buffer overflow condition. This aligns with common exploitation patterns seen in database-related vulnerabilities where trusted inputs are processed without adequate bounds checking before being written into fixed-size buffers.
In terms of industry classification standards, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, which is categorized under CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input. The potential for arbitrary code execution places it in the high-severity category according to common scoring systems due to its impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. From a tactical perspective related to adversary behavior frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, this vulnerability facilitates initial access if authentication is bypassed or credentials are stolen, followed by privilege escalation and command execution capabilities that allow for lateral movement within the database infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies must prioritize immediate patching of Pgpool-II to the latest stable version where this memory safety issue has been resolved. Since the flaw involves improper input validation leading to buffer overflow, developers should ensure that all incoming data streams are strictly validated against expected lengths before processing. For organizations unable to immediately upgrade, network-level controls such as strict firewall rules limiting access to Pgpool-II ports only from trusted application servers can reduce exposure. Additionally, enabling robust logging and monitoring for abnormal process restarts or segmentation faults in the Pgpool-II logs can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. Implementing principle of least privilege by running the service under a restricted user account with minimal system permissions further limits the blast radius should an exploit succeed.