CVE-2025-2945
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a critical remote code execution vulnerability in pgAdmin 4 where attacker-controlled input is passed to Python's eval() function. Attackers can execute arbitrary code on the pgAdmin server by exploiting two POST endpoints. All pgAdmin 4 installations before version 9.2 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- pgAdmin 4
📦 What is this software?
Pgadmin 4 by Pgadmin
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands as the pgAdmin service account, potentially leading to database compromise, lateral movement, and full environment takeover.
Likely Case
Attackers gain shell access on the pgAdmin server, allowing them to access database credentials, modify data, and potentially pivot to other systems in the network.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and access controls, impact is limited to the pgAdmin server itself, though database credentials could still be compromised.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authentication to pgAdmin, but the vulnerability is trivial to exploit once authenticated. Public proof-of-concept exists in the GitHub issue.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 9.2 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/8603
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your pgAdmin configuration and data. 2. Stop the pgAdmin service. 3. Upgrade to pgAdmin 4 version 9.2 or later using your package manager or from source. 4. Restart the pgAdmin service. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable endpoints via reverse proxy
allBlock access to the /sqleditor/query_tool/download and /cloud/deploy endpoints using a web application firewall or reverse proxy.
# Example nginx configuration
location ~ ^/(sqleditor/query_tool/download|cloud/deploy) {
deny all;
return 403;
}
Restrict network access
linuxLimit pgAdmin access to trusted IP addresses only using firewall rules.
# Example iptables rule
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5050 -s TRUSTED_IP -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5050 -j DROP
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate pgAdmin from critical systems
- Enforce strong authentication and limit user privileges to minimize attack surface
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check pgAdmin version: if version is below 9.2, the system is vulnerable. Also check if /sqleditor/query_tool/download and /cloud/deploy endpoints are accessible.Check Version:
pgadmin4 --version or check the About dialog in the web interfaceVerify Fix Applied:
Verify pgAdmin version is 9.2 or higher and test that the vulnerable endpoints no longer accept malicious eval() payloads.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual POST requests to /sqleditor/query_tool/download or /cloud/deploy with Python code in parameters
- Unexpected process execution from pgAdmin service account
- Authentication logs showing access from unusual locations
Network Indicators:
- POST requests containing Python eval() payloads to vulnerable endpoints
- Outbound connections from pgAdmin server to unexpected destinations
SIEM Query:
source="pgadmin.log" AND (url_path="/sqleditor/query_tool/download" OR url_path="/cloud/deploy") AND (param="query_commited" OR param="high_availability") AND payload CONTAINS "eval"