CVE-2022-41946: TemporaryFolder on unix-like systems does not limit access to created files in pgjdbc

Published Nov 23, 2022
·
Updated

Vulnerability

PreparedStatement.setText(int, InputStream) and

PreparedStatemet.setBytea(int, InputStream)

will create a temporary file if the InputStream is larger than 51k

Example of vulnerable code:

java String s = "some very large string greater than 51200 bytes";

PreparedStatement.setInputStream(1, new ByteArrayInputStream(s.getBytes()) ); This will create a temporary file which is readable by other users on Unix like systems, but not MacOS.

Impact On Unix like systems, the system's temporary directory is shared between all users on that system. Because of this, when files and directories are written into this directory they are, by default, readable by other users on that same system.

This vulnerability does not allow other users to overwrite the contents of these directories or files. This is purely an information disclosure vulnerability.

When analyzing the impact of this vulnerability, here are the important questions to ask:

Is the driver running in an environment where the OS has other untrusted users. If yes, and you answered 'yes' to question 1, this vulnerability impacts you. If no, this vulnerability does not impact you. Patches Because certain JDK file system APIs were only added in JDK 1.7, this this fix is dependent upon the version of the JDK you are using.

Java 1.8 and higher users: this vulnerability is fixed in 42.2.27, 42.3.8, 42.4.3, 42.5.1 Java 1.7 users: this vulnerability is fixed in 42.2.27.jre7 Java 1.6 and lower users: no patch is available; you must use the workaround below. Workarounds If you are unable to patch, or are stuck running on Java 1.6, specifying the java.io.tmpdir system environment variable to a directory that is exclusively owned by the executing user will fix this vulnerability.

References CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Fix commit https://github.com/pgjdbc/pgjdbc/commit/9008dc9aade6dbfe4efafcd6872ebc55f4699cf5 Similar Vulnerabilities Google Guava - https://github.com/google/guava/issues/4011 Apache Ant - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1945 JetBrains Kotlin Compiler - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15824

Other sources

A flaw was found in org.postgresql. This issue allows the creation of a temporary file when using PreparedStatement.setText(int, InputStream) and PreparedStatemet.setBytea(int, InputStream). This could allow a user to create an unexpected file available to all users, which could end in unexpected behavior.

pgjdbc is an open source postgresql JDBC Driver. In affected versions a prepared statement using either PreparedStatement.setText(int, InputStream) or PreparedStatemet.setBytea(int, InputStream) will create a temporary file if the InputStream is larger than 2k. This will create a temporary file which is readable by other users on Unix like systems, but not MacOS. On Unix like systems, the system's temporary directory is shared between all users on that system. Because of this, when files and directories are written into this directory they are, by default, readable by other users on that same system. This vulnerability does not allow other users to overwrite the contents of these directories or files. This is purely an information disclosure vulnerability. Because certain JDK file system APIs were only added in JDK 1.7, this this fix is dependent upon the version of the JDK you are using. Java 1.7 and higher users: this vulnerability is fixed in 4.5.0. Java 1.6 and lower users: no patch is available. If you are unable to patch, or are stuck running on Java 1.6, specifying the java.io.tmpdir system environment variable to a directory that is exclusively owned by the executing user will mitigate this vulnerability.

PreparedStatement.setText(int, InputStream) and PreparedStatemet.setBytea(int, InputStream) will create a temporary file if the InputStream is larger than 51k In affected versions a prepared statement using either PreparedStatement.setText(int, InputStream) or PreparedStatemet.setBytea(int, InputStream) will create a temporary file if the InputStream is larger than 2k. This will create a temporary file which is readable by other users on Unix like systems, but not MacOS.

Red Hat

Affected Software

20 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/postgresql-jdbc<0:42.2.14-2.el8
0:42.2.14-2.el8
redhat/postgresql-jdbc<0:42.2.27-1.el9
0:42.2.27-1.el9
redhat/candlepin<0:4.1.20-1.el8
0:4.1.20-1.el8
redhat/candlepin<0:4.2.13-1.el8
0:4.2.13-1.el8
redhat/postgres<42.2.27.
42.2.27.
redhat/postgres<42.2.27
42.2.27
redhat/postgres<42.3.8
42.3.8
redhat/postgres<42.4.3
42.4.3
redhat/postgres<42.5.1
42.5.1
maven/org.postgresql:postgresql>=42.3.0<42.3.8
42.3.8
maven/org.postgresql:postgresql>=42.5.0<42.5.1
42.5.1
maven/org.postgresql:postgresql>=42.4.0<42.4.3
42.4.3
maven/org.postgresql:postgresql>=42.2.0<42.2.27
42.2.27
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL JDBC driver>=42.2.0<42.2.27
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL JDBC driver>=42.3.0<42.3.8
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL JDBC driver>=42.4.0<42.4.3
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL JDBC driver=42.5.0
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL JDBC driver=42.5.0-rc1
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
IBM Cognos Analytics Certified Containers<=12.1.0

Event History

Nov 23, 2022
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Advisory Published
via GitHub·10:17 PM
Nov 7, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2022-41946?

CVE-2022-41946 is a vulnerability in pgjdbc, the PostgreSQL JDBC Driver, which allows the creation of a temporary file when using certain methods.

2

How does CVE-2022-41946 affect the software?

CVE-2022-41946 affects versions of PostgreSQL JDBC Driver before 42.2.14-2.el8 and 42.2.27-1.el9.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2022-41946?

The severity of CVE-2022-41946 is medium, with a CVSS score of 6.3.

4

How can CVE-2022-41946 be fixed?

To fix CVE-2022-41946, upgrade to PostgreSQL JDBC Driver version 42.2.14-2.el8 or 42.2.27-1.el9.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2022-41946?

More information about CVE-2022-41946 can be found on CVE.org, NVD, Red Hat Bugzilla, and Red Hat Errata.

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