CVE-2026-14661PostgreSQL external control of a file name
CVE-2026-14661 is a external control of a file name in PostgreSQL, rated high (8.1 on CVSS 3.1).
Why this priority: High severity, with no exploitation signal yet.
Published · Updated · NVD status: Received
What it is
Input decides which file the software opens, so a caller can point it elsewhere.
How it is reached
An attacker can exploit it over the network, with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything.
What an attacker gains
A successful attack can change data or behaviour and take it offline. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker read or write files outside the folders the service meant to expose.
Is it being exploited?
There is no public report of exploitation yet.
What to do
- Upgrade PostgreSQL to a fixed version for your release line (18.7, 17.12, 16.16).
- Until it is patched, review who holds accounts that can reach it.
Description from NVD
External control of file name in PostgreSQL dblink and CREATE/ALTER SUBSCRIPTION allows a user to achieve persistent denial of service, via appending invalid data to a chosen file. Specifically, the "sslkeylogfile" connection parameter appends data, in NSS keylog format, to a file of the user's choosing. This "sslkeylogfile" mechanism cannot add arbitrary bytes. Within major version 18, minor versions before PostgreSQL 18.7 are affected. Versions before PostgreSQL 18 are also affected if libpq version 18 or later is installed and in use by the server.
What this means for your architecture.
A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.
Components it touches
- File storage the service can read or write. The flaw sits between the application and the file system it can reach.
Trust boundaries in play
- Authenticated network access. An account is needed, so exposure follows who can sign in: customers, partners or staff.
- Between the application and the file system it can reach. An attacker who crosses it can read or write files outside the folders the service meant to expose.
Questions to answer about your own systems
- Where does PostgreSQL run in your systems, and at which version?
- Which of those instances can be reached from the internet or partner networks?
- What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?
Sources
- CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
- Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
- Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.