CVE-2022-25852: Libpq Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j32j-2hxv-rqf7
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-400 CWE-704
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-25852 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Libpq libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves pg-native and libpq vulnerable to uncontrolled resource consumption. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.8.10, 3.0.1.

CVE-2022-25852 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-25852
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j32j-2hxv-rqf7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Libpq
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2022-25852

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Libpq dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

libpq fixed: 1.8.10 
npm install libpq@1.8.10
pg-native fixed: 3.0.1 
npm install pg-native@3.0.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

npm ls libpq

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2022-25852, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls libpq

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Libpq in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.8.10), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls libpq command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Libpq, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

pg-native before 3.0.1 and libpq before 1.8.10 are vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) when the addons attempt to cast the second argument to an array and fail. This happens for every non-array argument passed. **Note:** pg-native is a mere binding to npm's libpq library, which in turn has the addons and bindings to the actual C libpq library. This means that problems found in pg-native may transitively impact npm's libpq.

CVE-2022-25852 Affected Libpq Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.8.103.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
libpq
npm/libpq
npm
< 1.8.10
1.8.10
pg-native
npm/pg-native
npm
< 3.0.1
3.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2022-25852 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-25852
Libpq Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/brianc/node-libpq/issues/84
Libpq Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/brianc/node-libpq/pull/86
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-libpq-... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-LIBPQ-2392366
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-js-pgnati... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PGNATIVE-2392365

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-25852?
CVE-2022-25852 is a security vulnerability in Libpq involving pg-native and libpq vulnerable to uncontrolled resource consumption under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Libpq versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.8.10, 3.0.1 across affected packages: libpq, pg-native.
What version fixes CVE-2022-25852?
Upgrading to 1.8.10, 3.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is libpq affected?
Yes, libpq is affected in releases prior to 1.8.10. Upgrade your dependency to 1.8.10 or later.
Is pg-native affected?
Yes, pg-native is affected in releases prior to 3.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-25852?
CVE-2022-25852 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-25852?
CVE-2022-25852 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2022-25852?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls libpq'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-j32j-2hxv-rqf7",
  "modified" : "2023-10-19T18:45:44Z",
  "published" : "2022-06-18T00:00:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-25852" ],
  "summary" : "pg-native and libpq vulnerable to uncontrolled resource consumption",
  "details" : "pg-native before 3.0.1 and libpq before 1.8.10 are vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) when the addons attempt to cast the second argument to an array and fail. This happens for every non-array argument passed. **Note:** pg-native is a mere binding to npm's libpq library, which in turn has the addons and bindings to the actual C libpq library. This means that problems found in pg-native may transitively impact npm's libpq.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "libpq"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.8.10"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.8.9"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "pg-native"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.0.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-25852"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/brianc/node-libpq/issues/84"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/brianc/node-libpq/pull/86"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-LIBPQ-2392366"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JS-PGNATIVE-2392365"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400", "CWE-704" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-20T22:28:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-06-17T20:15:00Z"
  }
}