Subject: Re: Request for cryptographic mechanisms used in PostgreSQL

From: Nico Williams <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:04:05 -0600

On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 02:47:36PM +0530, ManiR wrote:
> We would like your guidance on the *cryptographic mechanisms used by
> PostgreSQL*, including:

FYI this is the sort of thing where LLMs shine.  I would start by asking
an LLM to write this and then I'd have expert humans review it.

Keep in mind that some of the cryptographic mechanism/algorithm usage is
transitive via PostgreSQL's dependencies (e.g., SASL, GSS-API, TLS), but
you might not be interested in expanding that (since you might want to
do separate CBOMs for those.

Keep in mind that some uses are not actually uses, like the PG crypto
extension, which makes cryptography available to PG _applications_.

You should also look at options to _not_ use cryptographic mechanisms.
I.e., options to use cleartext protocols.  Obviously it's much worse to
have a cleartext protocol than one that uses, say, 1DES, even though
1DES is so weak as to be useles.  Often auditors have a blind spot here.

And it's important not to treat the presence of, say, MD5 as fatal when
it's not being used for security-critical purposes.

IMO,

Nico
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From: ManiR <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:57:36 +0530

Hi All,

Thank you for the responses and suggestions so far.

We understand the suggestion to use an LLM as a starting point; however,
for our compliance and audit requirements, we would like to ensure that the
resulting CBOM is technically accurate and well-grounded in PostgreSQL’s
actual behavior.

Could you please let us know:

   -

   whether there are any *existing sample CBOMs or similar cryptographic
   inventories* available for PostgreSQL (even informal or
   community-created ones), and
   -

   what would be the *recommended approach or steps* to identify and
   document PostgreSQL’s cryptographic mechanisms accurately.

If anyone has previously undertaken a *similar exercise* (CBOM, crypto
inventory, or security documentation) for PostgreSQL, any guidance,
references, or documentation outlining the *process followed* would be
greatly appreciated.

Thank you again for your time and help.

Regards,

Manikandan R

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From: Ron Johnson <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:40:01 -0500

You can't write a document about your own prod systems without knowing what
(if any!) cryptography *your* prod systems use.

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