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This vulnerability resides in PostgreSQL’s handling of the “internal” data type. In PostgreSQL, the “internal” type is a special pseudo-type used to pass pointers to C-language functions, representing various mutually-incompatible data structures that are not intended for direct SQL access. The database system was designed with checks to prevent users from calling functions that use this “internal” type as an argument from SQL, as doing so could lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
However, these preventative measures contained gaps that an attacker could exploit. By crafting specific SQL function calls that include “internal” type arguments, a user can trigger a type confusion condition. Type confusion occurs when a program interprets a region of memory as a data type different from what was originally intended. In this case, the PostgreSQL server misinterprets the “internal” pointer, leading to memory corruption.
An authenticated, low-privileged user can exploit this remotely over the network without user interaction. By leveraging this memory corruption, the attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the operating system user running the PostgreSQL process. This effectively grants the attacker full control over the database server host, allowing them to read, modify, or delete data, install malware, or pivot to other systems on the network. The vulnerability affects all PostgreSQL versions before 18.5, 17.11, 16.15, 15.19, and 14.24.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: PostgreSQL
Version: <18.5,<17.11,<16.15,<15.19,<14.24
Vulnerability: Type Confusion (CWE-843)
Severity: 8.8 HIGH
date: 2026-08-13
Prediction: Patch already released (2026-08-13)
What Undercode Say:
Check PostgreSQL version psql -V Check for vulnerable functions using 'internal' type psql -d postgres -U postgres -c "SELECT proname, pronargs, proargtypes FROM pg_proc WHERE proargtypes::text LIKE '%internal%' AND proname NOT LIKE 'pg_%';" List all users with login capability psql -d postgres -U postgres -c "SELECT usename FROM pg_user;"
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
While a public, one-click exploit for CVE-2026-14680 is not widely available, the exploitation process would involve the following conceptual steps:
1. Reconnaissance: Identify a vulnerable PostgreSQL version.
- Authentication: Gain access to the database as any authenticated user.
- Crafted Function Call: Execute a specially crafted SQL query that calls a function with an “internal” type argument.
- Trigger Type Confusion: The crafted call bypasses the existing protections, causing the server to misinterpret a memory pointer.
- Memory Corruption & RCE: The type confusion leads to memory corruption, which the attacker can leverage to overwrite critical memory structures and execute arbitrary shellcode as the PostgreSQL operating system user.
Protection:
The primary and only complete protection against CVE-2026-14680 is to immediately upgrade to a patched version of PostgreSQL. The following versions contain the fix:
– PostgreSQL 18.6 (Note: 18.5 was skipped due to a regression; 18.6 is the fixed version)
– PostgreSQL 17.11
– PostgreSQL 16.15
– PostgreSQL 15.19
– PostgreSQL 14.24
Network-level access controls (firewalls) can be used as a temporary mitigation to restrict database access to trusted sources only, reducing the attack surface.
Impact:
Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-14680 has a critical impact:
- Confidentiality (High): An attacker can read any data stored in the database.
- Integrity (High): An attacker can modify or delete any data stored in the database.
- Availability (High): An attacker can cause a denial of service or completely destroy the database and the underlying system.
- System Compromise: The attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code as the operating system user running PostgreSQL, leading to full compromise of the database server host. This could allow for lateral movement to other systems on the network.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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