Replace last PushOverrideSearchPath() call with set_config_option().

The two methods don't cooperate, so set_config_option("search_path",
...) has been ineffective under non-empty overrideStack.  This defect
enabled an attacker having database-level CREATE privilege to execute
arbitrary code as the bootstrap superuser.  While that particular attack
requires v13+ for the trusted extension attribute, other attacks are
feasible in all supported versions.

Standardize on the combination of NewGUCNestLevel() and
set_config_option("search_path", ...).  It is newer than
PushOverrideSearchPath(), more-prevalent, and has no known
disadvantages.  The "override" mechanism remains for now, for
compatibility with out-of-tree code.  Users should update such code,
which likely suffers from the same sort of vulnerability closed here.
Back-patch to v11 (all supported versions).

Alexander Lakhin.  Reported by Alexander Lakhin.

Security: CVE-2023-2454

src/backend/catalog/namespace.c

@@ -3455,6 +3455,10 @@ OverrideSearchPathMatchesCurrent(OverrideSearchPath *path)
 /*
  * PushOverrideSearchPath - temporarily override the search path
  *
+ * Do not use this function; almost any usage introduces a security
+ * vulnerability.  It exists for the benefit of legacy code running in
+ * non-security-sensitive environments.
+ *
  * We allow nested overrides, hence the push/pop terminology.  The GUC
  * search_path variable is ignored while an override is active.
  *

src/backend/commands/schemacmds.c

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "commands/schemacmds.h"
 #include "miscadmin.h"
 #include "parser/parse_utilcmd.h"
+#include "parser/scansup.h"
 #include "tcop/utility.h"
 #include "utils/acl.h"
 #include "utils/builtins.h"
@@ -53,14 +54,16 @@ CreateSchemaCommand(CreateSchemaStmt *stmt, const char *queryString,
 {
 	const char *schemaName = stmt->schemaname;
 	Oid			namespaceId;
-	OverrideSearchPath *overridePath;
 	List	   *parsetree_list;
 	ListCell   *parsetree_item;
 	Oid			owner_uid;
 	Oid			saved_uid;
 	int			save_sec_context;
+	int			save_nestlevel;
+	char	   *nsp = namespace_search_path;
 	AclResult	aclresult;
 	ObjectAddress address;
+	StringInfoData pathbuf;
 
 	GetUserIdAndSecContext(&saved_uid, &save_sec_context);
 
@@ -153,14 +156,26 @@ CreateSchemaCommand(CreateSchemaStmt *stmt, const char *queryString,
 	CommandCounterIncrement();
 
 	/*
-	 * Temporarily make the new namespace be the front of the search path, as
+	 * Prepend the new schema to the current search path.
-	 * well as the default creation target namespace.  This will be undone at
+	 *
-	 * the end of this routine, or upon error.
+	 * We use the equivalent of a function SET option to allow the setting to
+	 * persist for exactly the duration of the schema creation.  guc.c also
+	 * takes care of undoing the setting on error.
 	 */
-	overridePath = GetOverrideSearchPath(CurrentMemoryContext);
+	save_nestlevel = NewGUCNestLevel();
-	overridePath->schemas = lcons_oid(namespaceId, overridePath->schemas);
+
-	/* XXX should we clear overridePath->useTemp? */
+	initStringInfo(&pathbuf);
-	PushOverrideSearchPath(overridePath);
+	appendStringInfoString(&pathbuf, quote_identifier(schemaName));
+
+	while (scanner_isspace(*nsp))
+		nsp++;
+
+	if (*nsp != '\0')
+		appendStringInfo(&pathbuf, ", %s", nsp);
+
+	(void) set_config_option("search_path", pathbuf.data,
+							 PGC_USERSET, PGC_S_SESSION,
+							 GUC_ACTION_SAVE, true, 0, false);
 
 	/*
 	 * Report the new schema to possibly interested event triggers.  Note we
@@ -214,8 +229,10 @@ CreateSchemaCommand(CreateSchemaStmt *stmt, const char *queryString,
 		CommandCounterIncrement();
 	}
 
-	/* Reset search path to normal state */
+	/*
-	PopOverrideSearchPath();
+	 * Restore the GUC variable search_path we set above.
+	 */
+	AtEOXact_GUC(true, save_nestlevel);
 
 	/* Reset current user and security context */
 	SetUserIdAndSecContext(saved_uid, save_sec_context);

src/test/regress/expected/namespace.out

@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 --
 -- Regression tests for schemas (namespaces)
 --
+-- set the whitespace-only search_path to test that the
+-- GUC list syntax is preserved during a schema creation
+SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', ' ', false);
+ set_config 
+------------
+  
+(1 row)
+
 CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_1
        CREATE UNIQUE INDEX abc_a_idx ON abc (a)
        CREATE VIEW abc_view AS
@@ -9,6 +17,43 @@ CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_1
               a serial,
               b int UNIQUE
        );
+-- verify that the correct search_path restored on abort
+SET search_path to public;
+BEGIN;
+SET search_path to public, test_ns_schema_1;
+CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_2
+       CREATE VIEW abc_view AS SELECT c FROM abc;
+ERROR:  column "c" does not exist
+LINE 2:        CREATE VIEW abc_view AS SELECT c FROM abc;
+                                              ^
+COMMIT;
+SHOW search_path;
+ search_path 
+-------------
+ public
+(1 row)
+
+-- verify that the correct search_path preserved
+-- after creating the schema and on commit
+BEGIN;
+SET search_path to public, test_ns_schema_1;
+CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_2
+       CREATE VIEW abc_view AS SELECT a FROM abc;
+SHOW search_path;
+       search_path        
+--------------------------
+ public, test_ns_schema_1
+(1 row)
+
+COMMIT;
+SHOW search_path;
+       search_path        
+--------------------------
+ public, test_ns_schema_1
+(1 row)
+
+DROP SCHEMA test_ns_schema_2 CASCADE;
+NOTICE:  drop cascades to view test_ns_schema_2.abc_view
 -- verify that the objects were created
 SELECT COUNT(*) FROM pg_class WHERE relnamespace =
     (SELECT oid FROM pg_namespace WHERE nspname = 'test_ns_schema_1');

src/test/regress/sql/namespace.sql

@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 -- Regression tests for schemas (namespaces)
 --
 
+-- set the whitespace-only search_path to test that the
+-- GUC list syntax is preserved during a schema creation
+SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', ' ', false);
+
 CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_1
        CREATE UNIQUE INDEX abc_a_idx ON abc (a)
 
@@ -13,6 +17,26 @@ CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_1
               b int UNIQUE
        );
 
+-- verify that the correct search_path restored on abort
+SET search_path to public;
+BEGIN;
+SET search_path to public, test_ns_schema_1;
+CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_2
+       CREATE VIEW abc_view AS SELECT c FROM abc;
+COMMIT;
+SHOW search_path;
+
+-- verify that the correct search_path preserved
+-- after creating the schema and on commit
+BEGIN;
+SET search_path to public, test_ns_schema_1;
+CREATE SCHEMA test_ns_schema_2
+       CREATE VIEW abc_view AS SELECT a FROM abc;
+SHOW search_path;
+COMMIT;
+SHOW search_path;
+DROP SCHEMA test_ns_schema_2 CASCADE;
+
 -- verify that the objects were created
 SELECT COUNT(*) FROM pg_class WHERE relnamespace =
     (SELECT oid FROM pg_namespace WHERE nspname = 'test_ns_schema_1');