CVE-2026-44477: CloudNativePG's metrics exporter allows privilege escalation to PostgreSQL superuser and OS RCE

Should you act?

Critical, preconditions apply

Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.5%, percentile 43: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 43% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes github.com/cloudnative-pg/cloudnative-pg (Go) < 1.28.3, fixed in 1.28.3; github.com/cloudnative-pg/cloudnative-pg (Go) >= 1.29.0, < 1.29.1, fixed in 1.29.1. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

CloudNativePG is a platform designed to manage PostgreSQL databases within Kubernetes environments. Prior to 1.29.1 and 1.28.3, the CloudNativePG metrics exporter opens its PostgreSQL connection as the postgres superuser via the pod-local Unix socket, then demotes the session with SET ROLE pgmonitor. SET ROLE changes only currentuser; sessionuser remains postgres. Any SQL expression evaluated inside the scrape session can invoke RESET ROLE to recover real superuser privileges, then use COPY ... TO PROGRAM to spawn an OS-level subprocess as the postgres user inside the primary pod. The READ ONLY transaction flag does not block this; it gates writes to database state, not external processes. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.29.1 and 1.28.3.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact

The CloudNativePG metrics exporter opens its PostgreSQL connection as the postgres superuser via the pod-local Unix socket, then demotes the session with SET ROLE pgmonitor. SET ROLE changes only currentuser; sessionuser remains postgres. That residual superuser identity is the foothold for the rest of the chain.

Any SQL expression evaluated inside the scrape session can invoke RESET ROLE to recover real superuser privileges, then use COPY ... TO PROGRAM to spawn an OS-level subprocess as the postgres user inside the primary pod. The READ ONLY transaction flag does not block this; it gates writes to database state, not external processes.

Two exploitation paths follow from this root cause.

Path 1: custom metric queries with unqualified identifiers (all supported releases)

Weakness type: CWE-250, CWE-271, CWE-426.

Product: github.com/cloudnative-pg/cloudnative-pg (Go) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-05-28

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: none
• Privileges required: low (any account)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.52% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 43.

Timeline

• 2026-05-11 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-423p-g724-fr39 published (critical)
• 2026-05-28 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2026-07-15 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-423p-g724-fr39 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-44477 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-44477 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com
3. access.redhat.com access.redhat.com
4. RHBZ#2482763 bugzilla.redhat.com
5. security.access.redhat.com security.access.redhat.com
6. github.com github.com
7. github.com github.com

Critical Go advisories · Today’s Security Digest