CVE-2026-53572
Received Received - Intake

KEDA PostgreSQL Scaler Connection String Injection

Publication date: 2026-08-21

Last updated on: 2026-08-21

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
KEDA is a Kubernetes-based Event Driven Autoscaling component. Prior to 2.20.0, pkg/scalers/postgresql_scaler.go constructs libpq-style connection strings from tenant-controlled host, port, userName, dbName, sslmode, and password values, while escapePostgreConnectionParameter() only quotes values containing a literal space. Tabs, newlines, carriage returns, form feeds, vertical tabs, quotes, and backslashes can therefore create additional key-value tokens when pgx parses the string. An attacker able to create or modify a TriggerAuthentication or ScaledObject can inject host or sslmode parameters, redirect the database connection to an attacker-controlled server, expose credentials, or disable intended TLS protection. This issue is fixed in version 2.20.0.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-08-21
Last Modified
2026-08-21
Generated
2026-08-22
AI Q&A
2026-08-22
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-53572

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
keda keda 2.20.0

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-89 The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.
CWE-74 The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

KEDA versions before 2.20.0 have a flaw in constructing PostgreSQL connection strings. Attackers can inject malicious parameters into these strings by using special characters like tabs or newlines. This allows them to redirect database connections to attacker-controlled servers, expose credentials, or disable TLS encryption.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by checking the version of KEDA installed on your system. If you are running a version prior to 2.20.0, your system is vulnerable. Use the command: kubectl get deployment -n keda keda-operator -o jsonpath='{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}' to check the version.

Impact Analysis

If you use KEDA with PostgreSQL scalers before version 2.20.0, an attacker with access to create or modify TriggerAuthentication or ScaledObject resources could intercept database traffic, steal sensitive data, or bypass security controls like TLS.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to personal or health data, violating GDPR and HIPAA requirements for data protection and confidentiality. Organizations using affected KEDA versions may face compliance violations and potential penalties.

Mitigation Strategies

Immediately upgrade KEDA to version 2.20.0 or later. Review all TriggerAuthentication and ScaledObject resources for suspicious configurations that may indicate exploitation attempts. Remove any unauthorized modifications to these resources.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-53572. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart