CVE-2026-6478
MediumWhat is CVE-2026-6478?
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.
CVSS Vector Breakdown
CVSS 3.1Exploitable remotely over the network without requiring access to the local system.
No special conditions required. Exploit can be performed reliably and repeatedly.
No authentication required. Any anonymous user can exploit this vulnerability.
No user interaction required. Exploit runs without any victim action.
Exploiting the vulnerability only affects the vulnerable component itself.
Some sensitive information is disclosed, but attacker has limited access.
Attacker can modify some data, but scope or consequence is limited.
No availability impact. Service remains fully operational.
FAQ
CVE-2026-6478 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10, rated as Medium. Review the affected products list and apply vendor patches.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) rates vulnerability severity from 0.0 to 10.0. CVE-2026-6478 scores 6.5/10 (Medium). Scores 9.0–10.0 are Critical, 7.0–8.9 are High, 4.0–6.9 are Medium, and below 4.0 are Low.
The list of devices confirmed to be affected by CVE-2026-6478 is shown in the "Affected Devices" section above. Check your firmware version against the vendor security advisory and apply the latest patch.
Apply the latest firmware or software update from the vendor. Check the References section above for official advisories and patch notes. If no patch is available, consider disabling the affected feature or isolating the device from untrusted networks.