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Fencer Vulns
high 8.8

CVE-2026-16238 json

PostgreSQL type confusion in pg_restore_attribute_stats() executes arbitrary code

published 2026-08-13 2 mo ago modified 2026-09-08 2 mo ago also BIT-postgresql-2026-16238 , EUVD-2026-57848

cvss
8.8
version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
0.4%
EPSS 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 36%
public exploits
0
none known

Summary

Type confusion in PostgreSQL pg_restore_attribute_stats() allows an object creator to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running the database, via conflation of range and multirange values. Within major version 18, minor versions before PostgreSQL 18.6 are affected. Versions before PostgreSQL 18 are unaffected.

Patch / fix

  • bitnami postgresql 18.5.0
  • n/a PostgreSQL 18.6
  • postgresql-18 Debian 14 18.6-1

debian advisories DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16238

  • postgresql-18 Ubuntu 26.04 LTS 18.6-0ubuntu0.26.04.1

ubuntu advisories UBUNTU-CVE-2026-16238

Ubuntu security data © Canonical Ltd., from https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices via OSV; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. CC BY-SA 4.0

  • pgaudit RHEL 9 18.0-1.module+el9.8.0+23739+1c42644c
  • postgis RHEL 9 3.6.1-4.module+el9.8.0+24879+1364ef12
  • pgvector RHEL 9 0.8.1-1.module+el9.8.0+23739+1c42644c
  • pg_repack RHEL 9 1.5.3-1.module+el9.8.0+23739+1c42644c
  • postgresql RHEL 9 18.6-1.module+el9.8.0+24816+5c11f535
  • postgis-utils RHEL 9 3.6.1-4.module+el9.8.0+24879+1364ef12
  • postgis-client RHEL 9 3.6.1-4.module+el9.8.0+24879+1364ef12
  • postgis-upgrade RHEL 9 3.6.1-4.module+el9.8.0+24879+1364ef12

red hat advisories RHSA-2026:67848RHSA-2026:67280

  • postgresql18 SLES for SAP 15 SP5, SLES for SAP 15 SP4, SLES 15 SP5-LTSS +5 more 18.6-150200.5.17.1
  • postgresql18 SLES for SAP 15 SP6, SLES 15 SP6-LTSS, SLE Module for Server Applications 15 SP7 +2 more 18.6-150600.13.16.1
  • postgresql18 SLES for SAP applications 16.0, SLES 16.0 18.6-160000.1.1
  • postgresql18 SLES LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5, SLES 12 SP5-LTSS 18.6-8.17.1

suse advisories SUSE-SU-2026:4015-1SUSE-SU-2026:4014-1SUSE-SU-2026:3942-1SUSE-SU-2026:23577-1

  • postgresql18 openSUSE Leap 16.0 18.6-160000.1.1
  • postgresql18-mini openSUSE Leap 16.0 18.6-160000.1.1
  • postgresql18 openSUSE Tumbleweed 18.6-1.1

opensuse advisories openSUSE-SU-2026:21703-1openSUSE-SU-2026:11565-1

  • pgaudit AlmaLinux 9 18.0-1.module_el9.8.0+234+5456f35d
  • postgis AlmaLinux 9 3.6.1-4.module_el9.8.0+310+22372bcc
  • pgvector AlmaLinux 9 0.8.1-1.module_el9.8.0+234+5456f35d
  • pg_repack AlmaLinux 9 1.5.3-1.module_el9.8.0+234+5456f35d
  • postgresql AlmaLinux 9 18.6-1.module_el9.8.0+310+22372bcc
  • postgis-utils AlmaLinux 9 3.6.1-4.module_el9.8.0+310+22372bcc
  • postgis-client AlmaLinux 9 3.6.1-4.module_el9.8.0+310+22372bcc
  • postgis-upgrade AlmaLinux 9 3.6.1-4.module_el9.8.0+310+22372bcc

almalinux advisories ALSA-2026:67848ALSA-2026:67280

  • pgaudit Rocky Linux 9 18.0-1.module+el9.8.0+40158+490b3c67
  • pgaudit Rocky Linux 9 18.0-1.module+el9.8.0+40213+f1e225a4
  • pgvector Rocky Linux 9 0.8.1-1.module+el9.8.0+40158+490b3c67
  • pgvector Rocky Linux 9 0.8.1-1.module+el9.8.0+40213+f1e225a4
  • pg_repack Rocky Linux 9 1.5.3-1.module+el9.8.0+40213+f1e225a4
  • pg_repack Rocky Linux 9 1.5.3-1.module+el9.8.0+40158+490b3c67
  • postgres-decoderbufs Rocky Linux 9 3.3.1-1.Final.module+el9.8.0+40213+f1e225a4
  • postgres-decoderbufs Rocky Linux 9 3.3.1-1.Final.module+el9.8.0+40158+490b3c67

rocky linux advisories RLSA-2026:67848RLSA-2026:67280

  • postgresql15 Alpine 3.22, Alpine 3.21 15.19-r0
  • postgresql16 Alpine 3.24, Alpine 3.23, Alpine 3.22 +1 more 16.15-r0
  • postgresql17 Alpine 3.24, Alpine 3.23, Alpine 3.22 +1 more 17.11-r0
  • postgresql18 Alpine 3.24, Alpine 3.23 18.5-r0

alpine advisories ALPINE-CVE-2026-16238

Alpine secdb © Alpine Linux, from https://secdb.alpinelinux.org via OSV; changed: normalised to fixed package versions per release. CC BY-SA 4.0

Vendor advisories

What the vendors themselves say about their products: affected, fixed or not affected, and what to do.

red hat product security vex CVE-2026-16238 updated cvss 8.8

postgresql: PostgreSQL: Arbitrary code execution via type confusion in pg_restore_attribute_stats()

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) pgaudit 18.0-1.module+el9.8.0+23739+1c42644c, postgis 3.6.1-4.module+el9.8.0+24879+1364ef12, pgvector 0.8.1-1.module+el9.8.0+23739+1c42644c, pg_repack 1.5.3-1.module+el9.8.0+23739+1c42644c, postgresql 18.6-1.module+el9.8.0+24816+5c11f535, postgis-utils 3.6.1-4.module+el9.8.0+24879+1364ef12, +12 more
    fixed: vendor fix RHSA-2026:67848
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) postgresql18 18.6-1.el10_2, postgresql18-test 18.6-1.el10_2, postgresql18-plperl 18.6-1.el10_2, postgresql18-server 18.6-1.el10_2, postgresql18-contrib 18.6-1.el10_2, postgresql18-upgrade 18.6-1.el10_2, +2 more Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) postgresql18-test-rpm-macros 18.6-1.el10_2
    fixed: vendor fix RHSA-2026:67280
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 postgresql, postgresql-libs, postgresql-test, postgresql-pltcl, postgresql-plperl, postgresql-server, +2 more Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 postgresql, postgresql-libs, postgresql-test, postgresql-pltcl, postgresql-plperl, postgresql-server, +3 more Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 pgaudit, pg_repack, postgresql, postgresql-test, postgresql-pltcl, postgresql-plperl, +7 more Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 postgresql, postgresql-test, postgresql-pltcl, postgresql-plperl, postgresql-server, postgresql-contrib, +4 more Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 postgresql16 Red Hat Hardened Images postgresql17, postgresql18
    +1 more products
    Red Hat Self-service automation portal 2 ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9
    not affected: vulnerable code not present

Red Hat CSAF VEX © Red Hat, Inc., from https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/; changed: reduced to product statuses and remediations. CC BY 4.0 · csaf

CISA SSVC

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total
Assessed
2 mo ago

Exploit prediction

0.41% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 36% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CNA 3.1 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
OSV 3.1 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected packages

ecosystem package affected fixed in
bitnami postgresql
>=18.0.0, <18.5.0
18.5.0

Affected products

  • n/a PostgreSQL

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-843 Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type
Technology feeds

References

Sources

Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.

CPEs and fixed versions use Anchore's correction of NVD's data: Added CPE configurations because not yet analyzed by NVD.