CVE-2026-92869 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The identified vulnerability represents a critical memory safety flaw within the Pgpool-II software suite, specifically manifesting as an out-of-bounds write condition. This type of defect occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers, potentially overwriting adjacent memory structures that are not intended to be modified by the current operation. In the context of database proxy systems like Pgpool-II, which sits between client applications and backend PostgreSQL servers, such vulnerabilities pose significant risks due to the high volume of concurrent connections and complex state management required for query routing and load balancing. The presence of this flaw indicates a failure in input validation or boundary checking logic during the processing of specific requests, allowing an attacker who has successfully authenticated to trigger memory corruption through crafted network packets or SQL commands that exceed expected buffer limits.
From a technical perspective, out-of-bounds writes are particularly dangerous because they can lead to arbitrary code execution if the overwritten memory contains function pointers or control data structures used by the application runtime. However, in this specific instance, the primary documented impact is abnormal process termination, which classifies the vulnerability primarily as a denial of service vector rather than an immediate privilege escalation path. This suggests that while the write operation corrupts internal state variables or heap metadata, it may not reliably allow for code execution without additional exploitation techniques such as heap spraying or specific memory layout manipulation. The fact that authentication is required limits the attack surface to users who have already obtained valid credentials, reducing the risk of remote unauthenticated exploitation but increasing the severity for environments with weak access controls or compromised user accounts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on service availability and data integrity assurance. Since Pgpool-II acts as a critical intermediary in many database architectures, its abrupt termination can cause immediate connectivity failures for all connected client applications. This results in application-level errors, transaction rollbacks, and potential loss of uncommitted data depending on the isolation levels configured in the backend PostgreSQL instances. Furthermore, frequent crashes may indicate underlying instability that could be exploited to perform resource exhaustion attacks or trigger cascading failures across a clustered database environment where Pgpool-II nodes are responsible for failover management. The lack of robust error handling during these memory corruption events means that recovery often requires manual intervention by system administrators to restart the service and investigate logs, leading to increased downtime and operational overhead.
To mitigate this risk, organizations should prioritize applying vendor-provided patches or upgrading to a version of Pgpool-II where the boundary check logic has been corrected. It is essential to review access control policies to ensure that only trusted users with legitimate business needs have authentication credentials for the proxy layer. Implementing network segmentation can also help by restricting direct access to Pgpool-II ports from untrusted networks, thereby reducing the likelihood of an attacker reaching the vulnerable code path even if they possess valid credentials. Additionally, deploying intrusion detection systems configured to monitor for anomalous memory usage patterns or unusual query volumes targeting database proxies may provide early warning indicators of exploitation attempts before significant damage occurs.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds writes that can lead to buffer overflows and subsequent control flow hijacking. In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this flaw relates to techniques involving memory corruption for denial of service or potential privilege escalation, falling under tactics such as Execution if code execution becomes feasible through further exploitation steps. Security teams should treat this issue with high priority due to its direct impact on infrastructure stability and its classification within a well-known class of severe software defects that have historically led to major security breaches when left unpatched in production environments.