CVE-2026-6478
PostgreSQL discloses MD5-hashed passwords via covert timing channel
CVSS Score
6.5
EPSS Score
0.0%
EPSS Percentile
0th
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.
| CWE | CWE-385 |
| Vendor | n/a |
| Product | postgresql |
| Ecosystems | |
| Industries | Technology |
| Published | May 14, 2026 |
| Last Updated | Aug 3, 2026 |
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CVSS v3 Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Affected Versions
n/a / PostgreSQL
18 < 18.4 17 < 17.10 16 < 16.14 15 < 15.18 0 < 14.23
References
postgresql.org: https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2026-6478/ access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6478 bugzilla.redhat.com: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2477447 security.access.redhat.com: https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-6478.json access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:49521 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27718 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27743 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27742 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27738 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28999 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28208 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26181 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28143 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:44420 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34362 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34363 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29815 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:32994 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:35880 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34043 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:42555 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26561 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33497 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29953 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33441 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26524 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29904 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:32983 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26525 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:29212 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28037 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26203 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26204 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:27741 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:21182 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22878 access.redhat.com: https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:44481
Credits
The PostgreSQL project thanks Joe Conway for reporting this problem.