PGHoard: Incomplete path traversal fix allows arbitrary file write
Summary
PGHoard is a PostgreSQL backup daemon and restore tool that stores backups in cloud object storage. An incomplete fix for a path traversal flaw in restore.py allows an attacker with write access to the backup storage to write files and create directories outside the PostgreSQL data directory. The attack is triggered when a database administrator runs the get-basebackup restore command on a crafted delta backup manifest, which can write arbitrary payloads to the host, for example a cron job.
Affected
- PGHoard up to and including 2.7.1 (affected range: < 2.7.2)
Fixed in
- PGHoard 2.7.2 (the release page states that it fixes CVE-2026-63120)
Workaround
- No known workarounds. Apply the patch and upgrade to 2.7.2 or later.
Exploitation
- No known exploitation in the wild.
- No public proof of concept found.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
Our recommendation
- Check whether any system runs PGHoard, including installations via pip or from the Aiven-Open repository.
- Upgrade PGHoard to 2.7.2 or later.
- Review who has write access to the backup buckets and restrict it to the required accounts.
- Use separate credentials for backup writes and restores.
- Until the upgrade is done, restore backups only into an isolated host, not directly onto production systems.
- Monitor backup storage for unexpected manifests or changes.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- PGHoard release 2.7.2 github.com
- GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-rh99-q79h-vvx3 github.com
- OSV entry CVE-2026-63120 vulners.com
- NVD record CVE-2026-63120 (Vulners) vulners.com
- VulDB entry 425695 vuldb.com
- PGHoard release 2.7.1 github.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 12:07.
Original description (NVD)
pghoard is a PostgreSQL backup daemon and restore tooling that stores backup data in cloud object stores. Prior to version 2.7.2, an incomplete path traversal fix in pghoard allows an attacker with write access to the backup object storage (such as S3, GCS, or Azure) to execute arbitrary file writes and directory creation outside the designated PostgreSQL data directory (pgdata). When a database administrator executes a restore operation (via pghoard_restore get-basebackup), a maliciously crafted delta backup manifest with path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../../etc/cron.d/backdoor) will write arbitrary payloads to the host system. This issue has been patched in version 2.7.2.
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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