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CVE-2020-21469

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via...

4.4 MediumFix availableDisputed

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
High
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

0.37%Up 0.3 points since Aug 23, 2023
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 4.4

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).

Record
CVE-2020-21469
CVSS 3.1
4.4 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-120
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).

Record
CVE-2020-21469
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-14241 No score

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).

Record
EUVD-2020-14241
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-w8hm-59h4-7ff2 7.5

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via...

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals.

Record
GHSA-w8hm-59h4-7ff2
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-120
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2023-1567 8.8

libpq security update

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system that uses and extends the SQL language combined with many features that safely store and scale the most complicated data workloads. This package provides the essential shared library for any PostgreSQL client program or interface.

Security Fix(es):

** DISPUTED ** An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).(CVE-2020-21469)

schema_element defeats protective search_path changes; It was found that certain database calls in PostgreSQL could permit an authed attacker with elevated database-level privileges to execute arbitrary code.(CVE-2023-2454)

Row security policies disregard user ID changes after inlining; PostgreSQL could permit incorrect policies to be applied in certain cases where role-specific policies are used and a given query is planned under one role and then executed under other roles. This scenario can happen under security definer functions or when a common user and query is planned initially and then re-used across multiple SET ROLEs. Applying an incorrect policy may permit a user to complete otherwise-forbidden reads and modifications. This affects only databases that have used CREATE POLICY to define a row security policy.(CVE-2023-2455)

IN THE EXTENSION SCRIPT, a SQL Injection vulnerability was found in PostgreSQL if it uses @extowner@, @extschema@, or @extschema:...@ inside a quoting construct (dollar quoting, '', or ""). If an administrator has installed files of a vulnerable, trusted, non-bundled extension, an attacker with database-level CREATE privilege can execute arbitrary code as the bootstrap superuser.(CVE-2023-39417)

A vulnerability was found in PostgreSQL with the use of the MERGE command, which fails to test new rows against row security policies defined for UPDATE and SELECT. If UPDATE and SELECT policies forbid some rows that INSERT policies do not forbid, a user could store such rows.(CVE-2023-39418)

Record
OESA-2023-1567
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2023-1568 8.8

libpq security update

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system that uses and extends the SQL language combined with many features that safely store and scale the most complicated data workloads. This package provides the essential shared library for any PostgreSQL client program or interface.

Security Fix(es):

** DISPUTED ** An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).(CVE-2020-21469)

schema_element defeats protective search_path changes; It was found that certain database calls in PostgreSQL could permit an authed attacker with elevated database-level privileges to execute arbitrary code.(CVE-2023-2454)

Row security policies disregard user ID changes after inlining; PostgreSQL could permit incorrect policies to be applied in certain cases where role-specific policies are used and a given query is planned under one role and then executed under other roles. This scenario can happen under security definer functions or when a common user and query is planned initially and then re-used across multiple SET ROLEs. Applying an incorrect policy may permit a user to complete otherwise-forbidden reads and modifications. This affects only databases that have used CREATE POLICY to define a row security policy.(CVE-2023-2455)

IN THE EXTENSION SCRIPT, a SQL Injection vulnerability was found in PostgreSQL if it uses @extowner@, @extschema@, or @extschema:...@ inside a quoting construct (dollar quoting, '', or ""). If an administrator has installed files of a vulnerable, trusted, non-bundled extension, an attacker with database-level CREATE privilege can execute arbitrary code as the bootstrap superuser.(CVE-2023-39417)

A vulnerability was found in PostgreSQL with the use of the MERGE command, which fails to test new rows against row security policies defined for UPDATE and SELECT. If UPDATE and SELECT policies forbid some rows that INSERT policies do not forbid, a user could store such rows.(CVE-2023-39418)

Record
OESA-2023-1568
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2023-1569 7.5

libpq security update

PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system that uses and extends the SQL language combined with many features that safely store and scale the most complicated data workloads. This package provides the essential shared library for any PostgreSQL client program or interface.

Security Fix(es):

** DISPUTED ** An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).(CVE-2020-21469)

schema_element defeats protective search_path changes; It was found that certain database calls in PostgreSQL could permit an authed attacker with elevated database-level privileges to execute arbitrary code.(CVE-2023-2454)

Row security policies disregard user ID changes after inlining; PostgreSQL could permit incorrect policies to be applied in certain cases where role-specific policies are used and a given query is planned under one role and then executed under other roles. This scenario can happen under security definer functions or when a common user and query is planned initially and then re-used across multiple SET ROLEs. Applying an incorrect policy may permit a user to complete otherwise-forbidden reads and modifications. This affects only databases that have used CREATE POLICY to define a row security policy.(CVE-2023-2455)

A vulnerability was found in PostgreSQL with the use of the MERGE command, which fails to test new rows against row security policies defined for UPDATE and SELECT. If UPDATE and SELECT policies forbid some rows that INSERT policies do not forbid, a user could store such rows.(CVE-2023-39418)

Record
OESA-2023-1569
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2020-21469 4.4

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2020-21469
CVSS 3.1
4.4 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVBIT-postgresql-2020-21469 No score

An issue was discovered in PostgreSQL 12.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service via repeatedly sending SIGHUP signals. NOTE: this is disputed by the vendor because untrusted users cannot send SIGHUP signals; they can only be sent by a PostgreSQL superuser, a user with pg_reload_conf access, or a user with sufficient privileges at the OS level (the postgres account or the root account).

Record
BIT-postgresql-2020-21469
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
postgresql
Bitnami
12.2.0 up to 12.2.1
12.2.1
libpq
openEuler:22.03-LTS-SP1
From an advisory covering 5 CVEs
before 13.12-1.oe2203sp1
13.12-1.oe2203sp1
libpq
openEuler:22.03-LTS-SP2
From an advisory covering 5 CVEs
before 13.12-1.oe2203sp2
13.12-1.oe2203sp2
libpq
openEuler:22.03-LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 13.12-1.oe2203
13.12-1.oe2203
postgresql-12
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS
before 12.5-0ubuntu0.20.04.1, plus listed versions
12.0-112.1-112.1-2build112.2-112.2-1ubuntu212.2-412.4-0ubuntu0.20.04.1
12.5-0ubuntu0.20.04.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2020-21469 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.4) in Postgresql, published August 22, 2023. Its validity is disputed. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.37%, the 30th percentile. Fixed in postgresql 12.2.1.

References

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