pgjdbc: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
CVE-2026-42198 is a high-severity allocation of resources without limits or throttling vulnerability in pgjdbc, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected pgjdbc versions: >= 42.2.0, < 42.7.11. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 3.26% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 89% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Postgresql Jdbc Driver to 42.7.11 or a later version.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Scored by CNA (github.com).
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA (github.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA |
Official description
pgjdbc is an open source postgresql JDBC Driver. From version 42.2.0 to before version 42.7.11, pgjdbc is vulnerable to a client-side denial of service during SCRAM-SHA-256 authentication. A malicious server can instruct the driver to perform SCRAM authentication with a very large iteration count. With a large enough value, the client spends an unbounded amount of CPU time inside PBKDF2 before authentication can fail. A single attempt ties up a CPU core. Repeated or concurrent attempts exhaust client CPU and can wedge connection pools. In affected versions, loginTimeout did not fully mitigate this problem. When loginTimeout expired, the caller could stop waiting, but the worker thread performing the connection attempt could continue running and burning CPU inside the SCRAM PBKDF2 computation. This issue has been patched in version 42.7.11.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.
- Limit the amount of resources that are accessible to unprivileged users. Set per-user limits for resources. Allow the system administrator to define these limits. Be careful to avoid CWE-410.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerabilities (CWE-770)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- github.com/pgjdbc/pgjdbc/releases/tag/REL42.7.11Release Notes
Other references
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:19098
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:22304
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:24348
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25030
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:52928
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:52929
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:52930
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:52978
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:54532
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:59277
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:59278
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66488
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66545
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42198
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2463857
Other vulnerabilities in pgjdbc
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.0 High severity
Recent Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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