Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2017-12172

medium Nessus Plugin ID 220405

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Synopsis

The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be patched.

Description

The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied patch available.

- PostgreSQL 10.x before 10.1, 9.6.x before 9.6.6, 9.5.x before 9.5.10, 9.4.x before 9.4.15, 9.3.x before 9.3.20, and 9.2.x before 9.2.24 runs under a non-root operating system account, and database superusers have effective ability to run arbitrary code under that system account. PostgreSQL provides a script for starting the database server during system boot. Packages of PostgreSQL for many operating systems provide their own, packager-authored startup implementations. Several implementations use a log file name that the database superuser can replace with a symbolic link. As root, they open(), chmod() and/or chown() this log file name. This often suffices for the database superuser to escalate to root privileges when root starts the server. (CVE-2017-12172)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.

Solution

There is no known solution at this time.

Plugin Details

Severity: Medium

ID: 220405

File Name: unpatched_CVE_2017_12172.nasl

Version: 1.2

Type: local

Agent: unix

Family: Misc.

Published: 3/4/2025

Updated: 8/18/2025

Supported Sensors: Agentless Assessment, Frictionless Assessment Agent, Frictionless Assessment AWS, Frictionless Assessment Azure, Nessus Agent, Nessus

Risk Information

VPR

Risk Factor: Medium

Score: 5.9

CVSS v2

Risk Factor: High

Base Score: 7.2

Temporal Score: 5.3

Vector: CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS Score Source: CVE-2017-12172

CVSS v3

Risk Factor: Medium

Base Score: 6.7

Temporal Score: 5.8

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Temporal Vector: CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

Vulnerability Information

CPE: p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-contrib, cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:5, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-test, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-plpython, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-docs, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-libs, cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-devel, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-pltcl, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-server, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql84, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:postgresql-plperl

Required KB Items: Host/OS/identifier, Host/cpu, Host/local_checks_enabled, global_settings/vendor_unpatched

Exploit Ease: No known exploits are available

Vulnerability Publication Date: 11/9/2017

Reference Information

CVE: CVE-2017-12172

Detections

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