CVE-2012-1618: Postgresql Unescaped Parameters Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h86w-m5rm-xr33
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-1618 is a HIGH unescaped parameters vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Postgresql libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves unescaped parameters in the postgresql jdbc driver. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.2.

CVE-2012-1618 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-1618
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h86w-m5rm-xr33
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Postgresql
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2012-1618

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

org.postgresql:postgresql fixed: 8.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.postgresql</groupId>
    <artifactId>postgresql</artifactId>
    <version>8.2</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.postgresql

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2012-1618, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.postgresql

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Postgresql in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 8.2), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.postgresql command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Postgresql, 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

Interaction error in the PostgreSQL JDBC driver before 8.2, when used with a PostgreSQL server with the "standard_conforming_strings" option enabled, such as the default configuration of PostgreSQL 9.1, does not properly escape unspecified JDBC statement parameters, which allows remote attackers to perform SQL injection attacks. NOTE: as of 20120330, it was claimed that the upstream developer planned to dispute this issue, but an official dispute has not been posted as of 20121005.

CVE-2012-1618 Affected Postgresql Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.postgresql:postgresql
maven/org.postgresql/postgresql
Maven
< 8.2
8.2

References

NVD — CVE-2012-1618 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1618
bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=754273
Postgresql Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pgjdbc/pgjdbc
archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/20... WEB
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2012-03/0126.html
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security/2012-03/msg00024.html
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/30/8
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/30/9
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/31/1
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/02/4
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/11
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/4
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/5
Postgresql Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/9
www.osvdb.org/80641 WEB
http://www.osvdb.org/80641

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-1618?
CVE-2012-1618 is a security vulnerability in Postgresql involving Unescaped parameters in the PostgreSQL JDBC driver under General Security Weakness.
Which Postgresql versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.2 across affected packages: org.postgresql:postgresql.
What version fixes CVE-2012-1618?
Upgrading to 8.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is postgresql affected?
Yes, org.postgresql:postgresql is affected in releases prior to 8.2. Upgrade your dependency to 8.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2012-1618?
CVE-2012-1618 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2012-1618?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.postgresql'. 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-h86w-m5rm-xr33",
  "modified" : "2023-02-14T00:32:49Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T05:20:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-1618" ],
  "summary" : "Unescaped parameters in the PostgreSQL JDBC driver",
  "details" : "Interaction error in the PostgreSQL JDBC driver before 8.2, when used with a PostgreSQL server with the \"standard_conforming_strings\" option enabled, such as the default configuration of PostgreSQL 9.1, does not properly escape unspecified JDBC statement parameters, which allows remote attackers to perform SQL injection attacks.  NOTE: as of 20120330, it was claimed that the upstream developer planned to dispute this issue, but an official dispute has not been posted as of 20121005.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.postgresql:postgresql"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1618"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=754273"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pgjdbc/pgjdbc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2012-03/0126.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security/2012-03/msg00024.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/30/8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/30/9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/03/31/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/02/4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/11"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/04/04/9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.osvdb.org/80641"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-14T00:32:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2012-10-06T22:55:00Z"
  }
}