CVE-2024-1597 — postgresql
CRITICALCVE-2024-1597 is a critical-severity (CVSS 10) SQL Injection vulnerability in org.postgresql:postgresql. A fix is available for org.postgresql:postgresql — see the affected versions and patch details below.
pgjdbc SQL Injection via line comment generation
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-1597.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2024-1597 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.postgresql:postgresql☕org.postgresql:postgresql☕org.postgresql:postgresql☕org.postgresql:postgresql☕org.postgresql:postgresql☕org.postgresql:postgresqlReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
pgjdbc, the PostgreSQL JDBC Driver, allows attacker to inject SQL if using PreferQueryMode=SIMPLE. Note this is not the default. In the default mode there is no vulnerability. A placeholder for a numeric value must be immediately preceded by a minus. There must be a second placeholder for a string value after the first placeholder; both must be on the same line. By constructing a matching string payload, the attacker can inject SQL to alter the query,bypassing the protections that parameterized queries bring against SQL Injection attacks. Versions before 42.7.2, 42.6.1, 42.5.5, 42.4.4, 42.3.9, and 42.2.28 are affected.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.postgresql:postgresql | all versions | 42.2.28org.postgresql:postgresql:42.2.28 |
| ☕Maven | org.postgresql:postgresql | ≥ 42.3.0&&< 42.3.9 | 42.3.9org.postgresql:postgresql:42.3.9 |
| ☕Maven | org.postgresql:postgresql | ≥ 42.4.0&&< 42.4.4 | 42.4.4org.postgresql:postgresql:42.4.4 |
| ☕Maven | org.postgresql:postgresql | ≥ 42.5.0&&< 42.5.5 | 42.5.5org.postgresql:postgresql:42.5.5 |
| ☕Maven | org.postgresql:postgresql | ≥ 42.6.0&&< 42.6.1 | 42.6.1org.postgresql:postgresql:42.6.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.postgresql:postgresql | ≥ 42.7.0&&< 42.7.2 | 42.7.2org.postgresql:postgresql:42.7.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.postgresql:postgresql, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.postgresql:postgresql to 42.2.28 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-1597 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2024-1597 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2024-1597. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
The PostgreSQL JDBC Driver is not affected in the default query mode. Users that do not override the query mode are not impacted. The described SQL injection vulnerability, while significant, is categorized as important rather than critical due to several factors. Firstly, the exploitation relies on specific…
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat build of Apache Camel 4.4.1 for Spring Boot 3.2 | pgjdbc | RHSA-2024:4884 |
| Red Hat build of Keycloak 24 | pgjdbc | RHBA-2024:2108 |
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 2.13.9.SP2 | org.postgresql/postgresql:42.5.6.redhat-00001 | RHSA-2024:1797 |
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 3.2.11.Final | org.postgresql/postgresql:42.6.1.redhat-00001 | RHSA-2024:1662 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | postgresql-jdbc-0:42.2.14-3.el8_9 | RHSA-2024:1435 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support | postgresql-jdbc-0:42.2.3-5.el8_2 | RHSA-2024:2624 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support | postgresql-jdbc-0:42.2.3-7.el8_4 | RHSA-2024:4375 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support | postgresql-jdbc-0:42.2.3-5.el8_6 | RHSA-2024:4402 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-1597 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2024-1597 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.