CloudNativePG allowed superuser connections without neutralizing the search_path, letting a role with DATABASE OWNER privileges create overloaded built‑in operators in the public schema or alter the search_path used by instance‑manager introspection queries. This enabled the attacker to cause these queries to execute attacker‑controlled functions as the postgres superuser, granting full superuser access, the ability to run operating system commands via COPY … FROM PROGRAM, and read the pod ServiceAccount token. The vulnerability is categorized as a privilege escalation flaw.

Products affected are CloudNativePG’s cloudnative‑pg platform. All releases older than 1.28.4, 1.29.2, and 1.30.0 are vulnerable; the issue was fixed starting with those releases.

The CVSS score of 9.4 indicates a critical severity, and although an EPSS score is not available, the lack of a KEV listing does not reduce the high risk posed by this flaw. The attack vector relies on SQL connections from within a Kubernetes cluster where a user can control a DATABASE OWNER role. By creating overloaded operators or changing the search_path, the attacker forces the system to execute functions with superuser privileges, thus providing a clear path to compromise the PostgreSQL instance and the underlying host. The vulnerability requires no special network access beyond normal database access in the cluster, making it feasible to exploit in many real‑world CloudNativePG deployments.