Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2017-8806

The Debian pg_ctlcluster, pg_createcluster, and pg_upgradecluster scripts, as distributed in the Debian postgresql-common package before 181+deb9u1 for PostgreSQL (and other packages related to Debian and Ubuntu), handled symbolic links insecurely, which could result in local denial of service by overwriting arbitrary files.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 3 products from postgresql, from canonical, from debian organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2017-11-13T09:29:00.403

Last Modified

2025-04-20T01:37:25.860

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P

Access Vector: LOCAL
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: NONE
Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

4.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-59

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	postgresql	postgresql	-	Yes
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	14.04	No
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	16.04	No
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	17.04	No
Operating System	canonical	ubuntu_linux	17.10	No
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	8.0	No
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	9.0	No

References

http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs/main/p/postgresql-common/postgresql-common_181+deb9u1_changelog Broken Link, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101810 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://usn.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-3476-1/ Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-4029 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs/main/p/postgresql-common/postgresql-common_181+deb9u1_changelog Broken Link, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101810 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://usn.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-3476-1/ Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-4029 Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For postgresql's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.