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The CVE-2025-1234 vulnerability in pgAdmin4 arises from improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command during the restoration of PLAIN-format PostgreSQL dump files. When pgAdmin runs in server mode, the restore functionality constructs a command string for the `pg_restore` utility. This process insecurely incorporates user-supplied input from the dump file’s header or data into the final shell command without adequate sanitization or the use of safe parameter passing. An attacker can craft a malicious dump file where specific fields, such as the archive format comment or table data, contain shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks, semicolons). When the vulnerable pgAdmin server processes this file, it blindly inserts the tainted input into the command string. This lack of input validation and output escaping allows the injected commands to be executed with the privileges of the pgAdmin server process, leading to full Remote Code Execution on the underlying host system.
Platform: pgAdmin
Version: <= 9.9
Vulnerability: RCE
Severity: Critical
date: 2025-11-13
Prediction: 2025-11-27
What Undercode Say:
python3 -c "import pickle; pickle.loads(b'cos\nsystem\nX\nwhoami\n.')"
Crafted dump file header example ; echo "malicious_payload" > /tmp/exploited ;
How Exploit:
Craft a malicious PLAIN-format PostgreSQL dump file containing OS command injections in its metadata or data fields. Trick an authenticated user or gain access to trigger a restore operation via the pgAdmin4 web interface, causing the server to execute the embedded commands.
Protection from this CVE:
Update pgAdmin4 immediately. If an update is unavailable, avoid restoring untrusted PLAIN-format dump files and restrict pgAdmin server mode access to trusted networks only. Implement strict input validation and use parameterized command execution.
Impact:
Full system compromise, unauthorized data access, and complete control over the database server and underlying host, leading to potential data exfiltration, modification, or destruction.
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Sources:
Reported By: github.com
Extra Source Hub:
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