CVE-2026-6669

Unbounded SCRAM iteration count causes CPU exhaustion in PgBouncer

Published Sep 23, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 5.9 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
Missing upper bound on the key derivation iteration count accepted during SCRAM authentication to a backend server in PgBouncer through 1.25.2 allows a malicious or compromised PostgreSQL backend to cause uncontrolled CPU consumption in PgBouncer. The resulting key derivation cannot be interrupted in frontend builds such as PgBouncer. Because PgBouncer serves all clients from a single process, one backend can in this way stop it from serving traffic for every other database and client it is pooling, so the failure of a single backend is not contained.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

No advisories available
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Pgbouncer
Pgbouncer pgbouncer
Vendors & Products Pgbouncer
Pgbouncer pgbouncer
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Missing upper bound on the key derivation iteration count accepted during SCRAM authentication to a backend server in PgBouncer through 1.25.2 allows a malicious or compromised PostgreSQL backend to cause uncontrolled CPU consumption in PgBouncer. The resulting key derivation cannot be interrupted in frontend builds such as PgBouncer. Because PgBouncer serves all clients from a single process, one backend can in this way stop it from serving traffic for every other database and client it is pooling, so the failure of a single backend is not contained.
Title Unbounded SCRAM iteration count causes CPU exhaustion in PgBouncer
Weaknesses CWE-400
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.9, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
PostgreSQL
Published
Updated
Sep 23, 2026, 4:46 PM
Reserved
Apr 20, 2026, 12:25 PM
Status
Awaiting Analysis
Published
Sep 23, 2026, 5:17 PM
Modified
Sep 23, 2026, 7:40 PM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Sep 23, 2026, 4:04 PM