VulnerabilityPublished 10 Dec 2023Updated 20 Nov 2025

CVE-2023-5868: Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2 · Function Call With Incorrect Argument Type

Affects Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 4.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 09:15 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

4.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 2.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 86% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Dec 2023
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

AI-suggested

1. Apply official patches or updates from Red Hat for Advanced Cluster Security 4.2 and PostgreSQL as soon as they become available to address the root cause of the vulnerability. 2. Implement strict input validation and enforce explicit data typing for all aggregate function calls involving string literals to prevent 'unknown'-type arguments from being processed. 3. Restrict database user privileges to the minimum necessary, limiting the ability of low-privilege users to execute aggregate functions that could trigger the vulnerability. 4. Monitor database query logs and security event logs for unusual or suspicious aggregate function usage patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Employ network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of PostgreSQL instances and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security components to untrusted networks. 6. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focusing on database query handling and container security configurations. 7. Educate developers and database administrators about the risks of implicit typing in SQL queries and encourage best practices for query construction. 8. Consider deploying runtime application self-protection (RASP) or database activity monitoring (DAM) solutions to detect and block anomalous query behavior in real time.

Description

A memory disclosure vulnerability was found in PostgreSQL that allows remote users to access sensitive information by exploiting certain aggregate function calls with 'unknown'-type arguments. Handling 'unknown'-type values from string literals without type designation can disclose bytes, potentially revealing notable and confidential information. This issue exists due to excessive data output in aggregate function calls, enabling remote users to read some portion of system memory.

Impact

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-5868 is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information stored in system memory within environments using Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security 4.2 and PostgreSQL databases. This can lead to exposure of confidential data such as credentials, configuration details, or other sensitive information, increasing the risk of further compromise or data breaches. The vulnerability does not directly affect system integrity or availability, but the confidentiality breach can undermine trust and compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR. Organizations operating critical infrastructure, financial services, or government systems that rely on container security and PostgreSQL databases are particularly at risk. The medium severity score indicates that while exploitation requires some privileges, the ease of remote exploitation and lack of user interaction make it a credible threat. Failure to address this vulnerability could facilitate lateral movement or privilege escalation by attackers who gain initial access, thereby amplifying the overall security risk. Additionally, the exposure of sensitive memory contents could aid attackers in crafting more sophisticated attacks or bypassing other security controls.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 20 Nov 2025, 04:08 UTC

Technical details

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