The vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in the PostgreSQL pg_dump utility that processes long function transform lists. An attacker who can create or modify a function can supply a crafted transform list that overflows a buffer, allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the operating system user running pg_dump. This results in remote code execution on the host system and gives the attacker full control over the system if pg_dump is run as a privileged user.

All versions of PostgreSQL before 18.5, 17.11, 16.15, 15.19, and 14.24 are affected. Under the affected releases, the pg_dump command shipped with PostgreSQL can be abused. This includes PostgreSQL databases of any size running on Linux or other operating systems, as the exploitation occurs in user‑space code.

With an overall CVSS score of 8.8, the weakness is considered high severity. The EPSS score is not publicly available, and the vulnerability is not yet listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. However, the vulnerability can be exercised by any database role that has CREATE FUNCTION privilege, meaning a substantial number of users in typical deployments may have the necessary access. The exploit requires the attacker to craft a transform list and run pg_dump from an account using the same operating system user. Given the local nature of the attack vector and the lack of network exposure, organizations should treat this as a near‑term high risk for systems where trusted users have function creation rights and pg_dump is run as a privileged OS user.