PostgreSQL discloses MD5-hashed passwords via covert timing channel
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-6478 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | PostgreSQL |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-05-14 14:16:25 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-07-06 13:17:09 UTC |
| Description | Covert timing channel in comparison of MD5-hashed password in PostgreSQL authentication allows an attacker to recover user credentials sufficient to authenticate. This does not affect scram-sha-256 passwords, the default in all supported releases. However, current databases may have MD5-hashed passwords originating in upgrades from PostgreSQL 13 or earlier. Versions before PostgreSQL 18.4, 17.10, 16.14, 15.18, and 14.23 are affected. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 8.2 HIGH from ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
EPSS: 0.000760000 probability, percentile 0.226540000 (date 2026-05-25)
Problem Types: CWE-385 | CWE-385 Covert Timing Channel
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | ADP | CVSS | 8.2 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007 | Secondary | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | Secondary | 8.2 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version | Update | Edition | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | Postgresql | Postgresql | All | All | All | All |
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34363 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29815 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:32994 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | bugzilla.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27742 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27738 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28037 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29953 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29212 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:32983 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28208 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34043 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-6478.json | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | security.access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26204 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26524 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33497 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6478 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33441 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26203 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22878 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:21182 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28999 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26181 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26525 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26561 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27741 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28143 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:35880 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27718 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27743 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-6478 | f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007 | www.postgresql.org | Patch, Vendor Advisory |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34362 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29904 | 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c | access.redhat.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: The PostgreSQL project thanks Joe Conway for reporting this problem. (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| ADP | 2026-05-14T14:01:45.568Z | Reported to Red Hat. |
| ADP | 2026-05-14T13:00:13.174Z | Made public. |
Solutions
ADP: RHSA-2026:27718: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0), Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0)
ADP: RHSA-2026:27743: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10), Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10)
ADP: RHSA-2026:27742: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10), Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10)
ADP: RHSA-2026:27738: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:28999: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:28208: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:26181: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:28143: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:34362: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v.8.4), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS EXTENSION (v.8.4)
ADP: RHSA-2026:34363: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v.8.4), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS EXTENSION (v.8.4)
ADP: RHSA-2026:29815: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v.8.6), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS EXTENSION (v.8.6)
ADP: RHSA-2026:32994: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream AUS (v.8.6), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS EXTENSION (v.8.6)
ADP: RHSA-2026:35880: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.8.8), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v.8.8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:34043: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.8.8), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v.8.8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:26561: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.8.8), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream TUS (v.8.8)
ADP: RHSA-2026:33497: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.2)
ADP: RHSA-2026:29953: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.2)
ADP: RHSA-2026:33441: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.4)
ADP: RHSA-2026:26524: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.4)
ADP: RHSA-2026:29904: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.4)
ADP: RHSA-2026:32983: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6)
ADP: RHSA-2026:26525: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6)
ADP: RHSA-2026:29212: Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.6), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6)
ADP: RHSA-2026:28037: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)
ADP: RHSA-2026:26203: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)
ADP: RHSA-2026:26204: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9)
ADP: RHSA-2026:27741: Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9), Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9)
ADP: RHSA-2026:21182: Red Hat Hardened Images
ADP: RHSA-2026:22878: Red Hat Hardened Images
Workarounds
CNA: reset password with password_encryption=scram-sha-256
ADP: To mitigate this vulnerability, ensure that all PostgreSQL user passwords are not hashed using MD5. Users should migrate to stronger hashing algorithms such as `scram-sha-256`. This can be achieved by altering user passwords, which will automatically update their hash to the currently configured default. For example, to change a user's password: `ALTER USER username WITH PASSWORD 'new_password';` This action will require users to re-authenticate. If a service relies on these credentials, it may require a restart to pick up the new authentication details.