HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2015-3166

CRITICAL

CVE-2015-3166

CWE-119Published: November 20, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The snprintf implementation in PostgreSQL before 9.0.20, 9.1.x before 9.1.16, 9.2.x before 9.2.11, 9.3.x before 9.3.7, and 9.4.x before 9.4.2 does not properly handle system-call errors, which allows attackers to obtain sensitive information or have other unspecified impact via unknown vectors, as demonstrated by an out-of-memory error.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2015-3166 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges Req.None

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)

ubuntu linux

Debian1 product(s)

debian linux

postgresql1 product(s)

postgresql

Source: NVD CPE · 8 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2621-1

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3269

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3270

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1587/

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.0/static/release-9-0-20.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/release-9-1-16.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/static/release-9-2-11.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.3/static/release-9-3-7.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/release-9-4-2.html

ADVISORYhttp://ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2621-1

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3269

ADVISORYhttp://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3270

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1587/

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.0/static/release-9-0-20.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/release-9-1-16.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/static/release-9-2-11.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.3/static/release-9-3-7.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/release-9-4-2.html

All References (18)

→

http://ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2621-1Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3269Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3270Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1587/Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.0/static/release-9-0-20.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/release-9-1-16.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/static/release-9-2-11.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.3/static/release-9-3-7.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/release-9-4-2.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

→

http://ubuntu.com/usn/usn-2621-1Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3269Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3270Third Party Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/about/news/1587/Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.0/static/release-9-0-20.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

→

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/static/release-9-1-16.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2015-3166

CVSS Score9.8 / 10

SeverityCRITICAL

WeaknessCWE-119

CISA KEVNo

Affected3 vendor(s)

PublishedNov 20, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2015-3166 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2015-3166·NVD