Postgresql: role pg_signal_backend can signal certain superuser processes.

Description

A flaw was found in PostgreSQL involving the pg_cancel_backend role that signals background workers, including the logical replication launcher, autovacuum workers, and the autovacuum launcher. Successful exploitation requires a non-core extension with a less-resilient background worker and would affect that specific background worker only. This issue may allow a remote high privileged user to launch a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Timeline

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

2.6% · top 15% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: partial

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Low 2.2.

Weakness

• CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-400 and its CVEs

Affected products

• Red Hat · Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2

  • unaffected 4.2.4-6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2

  • unaffected 4.2.4-6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2

  • unaffected 4.2.4-7 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2

  • unaffected 4.2.4-6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2

  • unaffected 4.2.4-7 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 8090020231114113712.a75119d5 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 8090020231128173330.a75119d5 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 8090020231114113548.a75119d5 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Advanced Update Support

  • unaffected 8020020231128165246.4cda2c84 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 8020020231128165246.4cda2c84 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 8020020231128165246.4cda2c84 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support

  • unaffected 8040020231127153301.522a0ee4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support

  • unaffected 8040020231127154806.522a0ee4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 8040020231127153301.522a0ee4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 8040020231127154806.522a0ee4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 8040020231127153301.522a0ee4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 8040020231127154806.522a0ee4 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 8060020231114115246.ad008a3a – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 8060020231128165328.ad008a3a – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 8080020231114105206.63b34585 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 8080020231128165335.63b34585 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 8080020231113134015.63b34585 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:13.13-1.el9_3 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 9030020231120082734.rhel9 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:13.13-1.el9_0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:13.13-1.el9_2 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 9020020231115020618.rhel9 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  • unaffected 0:12.17-1.el7 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  • unaffected 0:13.13-1.el7 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 3.74.8-9 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 3.74.8-9 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 3.74.8-7 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 3.74.8-9 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-3.74-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 3.74.8-9 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 4.1.6-6 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 4.1.6-6 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 4.1.6-6 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 4.1.6-6 – < *

• Red Hat · RHACS-4.1-RHEL-8

  • unaffected 4.1.6-6 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

  All versions: unknown

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  All versions: affected

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  All versions: affected

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  All versions: unaffected

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  All versions: unaffected

• Red Hat · Red Hat Software Collections

  All versions: affected

What to do

Workaround: Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.

References (27)

• RHSA-2023:7545 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7579 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7580 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7581 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7616 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7656 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7666 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7667 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7694 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7695 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7714 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7770 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7772 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7784 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7785 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7883 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7884 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2023:7885 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2024:0304 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2024:0332 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHSA-2024:0337 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-5870 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• RHBZ#2247170 (opens in a new tab)issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATx_transferred
• https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/postgresql-161-155-1410-1313-1217-and-1122-released-2749/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/CVE-2023-5870/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240119-0003/ (opens in a new tab)x_transferred
• https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00007.html (opens in a new tab)

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2023-5870](https://trackcve.app/badge/CVE-2023-5870.svg)](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2023-5870)

Record last updated 6 Nov 2026, 13:40 UTC.