CVE-2025-12763
📋 TL;DR
pgAdmin 4 on Windows systems contains a command injection vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary system commands through specially crafted file paths during backup/restore operations. This affects all pgAdmin 4 versions up to 9.9 running on Windows. Attackers with access to the backup/restore functionality can achieve remote code execution.
💻 Affected Systems
- pgAdmin 4
📦 What is this software?
Pgadmin 4 by Pgadmin
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, data exfiltration, lateral movement, and persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Database compromise, credential theft, and limited file system access depending on pgAdmin service account privileges.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if pgAdmin runs with minimal privileges and network access is restricted, though command execution remains possible.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to backup/restore functionality, which may be available without authentication depending on pgAdmin configuration. The GitHub issue contains technical details that facilitate exploit development.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 10.0 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/9323
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Upgrade pgAdmin 4 to version 10.0 or higher. 2. Stop pgAdmin service. 3. Install new version. 4. Restart pgAdmin service. 5. Verify version is 10.0+.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Backup/Restore Functionality
allRemove or restrict access to backup and restore features in pgAdmin interface
Configure pgAdmin to disable backup/restore options via configuration file or access controls
Network Segmentation
allRestrict network access to pgAdmin interface
Use firewall rules to limit pgAdmin access to trusted IP addresses only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Run pgAdmin with minimal privileges using a low-privilege service account
- Implement strict input validation for file path parameters in custom configurations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check pgAdmin version via Help → About in UI or command line: pgadmin4 --version. If version is 9.9 or lower and OS is Windows, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
pgadmin4 --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm pgAdmin version is 10.0 or higher and test backup/restore functionality with safe file paths.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual subprocess executions from pgAdmin
- Suspicious file paths in backup/restore logs
- Command strings with shell metacharacters in pgAdmin logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected outbound connections from pgAdmin host
- Traffic to backup/restore endpoints with unusual parameters
SIEM Query:
source="pgadmin.log" AND ("subprocess" OR "backup" OR "restore") AND ("cmd.exe" OR "powershell" OR suspicious characters like | & ; $)