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pgAdmin 4 EUVDEUVD-2026-114386

| CVE-2026-116245 HIGH
Insufficiently Protected Credentials (CWE-522)
2026-10-30 f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007 GHSA-mxqp-rrfg-8vgh
7.1
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Log in as low-privileged pgAdmin user
  2. Delivery
    Set server Service to host service entry
  3. Exploit
    Override service host to attacker server
  4. Execution
    libpq connects with inherited credentials
  5. Impact
    Capture exfiltrated password or certificate

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Credential protection in transit/storage
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation is limited to pgAdmin 4 running in server (multi-user web) mode - desktop mode is explicitly not affected because any service may be used by the single local user there. It additionally requires that the operating-system account running pgAdmin has usable credentials for the attacker to inherit: a connection service file (~/.pg_service.conf, or a file named by PGSERVICEFILE/PGSYSCONFDIR) containing an entry with a password, password file, or client certificate, and/or PGPASSWORD or PGSERVICE environment variables set for that account, and/or pg_dumpall being invoked with a 'service=...' maintenance database name. The actor must be an authenticated pgAdmin user (CVSS PR:L), who then sets a server's Service, a 'service'/'servicefile' connection parameter, to one of those entries. Limiting factors: no such credentials present on the host account means nothing to steal; the attack is authenticated and not available to anonymous remote attackers; and it is high-complexity because it depends on host-side configuration the attacker cannot directly set.

Impact

This is a credential-exposure/privilege-escalation issue (CWE-522) scoped to pgAdmin 4 server mode, not a mass-exploitable remote flaw. The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N, score 7.1 High) tells a consistent story: although the attack surface is network-reachable (AV:N), it requires an already-authenticated low-privileged pgAdmin user (PR:L), carries an attack requirement (AT:P) and high complexity (AC:H) because it depends on preconditions the attacker does not control - namely that the OS account running pgAdmin actually has a connection service file entry, PGPASSWORD/PGSERVICE set, or pg_dumpall in use. The high confidentiality and subsequent-system impact (VC:H, SC:H/SI:H) reflects that a user can harvest another identity's stored password/certificate and act on a database with it. No CISA KEV listing and no EPSS score were provided, so widespread opportunistic exploitation cannot be asserted; the only references are the fix commit and the GitHub issue, which are not working exploit code. Signals do not conflict: a moderately high severity for an authenticated multi-tenant abuse, with the vuln.today 'this_week' priority indicating it warrants prompt patching rather than emergency response. The main caveat is missing EPSS/KEV data, which limits confidence in real-world exploitation frequency.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

In a shared pgAdmin 4 server-mode deployment, a low-privileged but authenticated pgAdmin user creates or edits a server and sets its Service (or a 'service' connection parameter) to an entry present in the service account's ~/.pg_service.conf, causing libpq to connect using that entry's stored password, password file, or client certificate. By also overriding the entry's host, the user can redirect that connection to a PostgreSQL server they control and capture the inherited password/certificate. No public working exploit was identified at time of analysis; the available references are the vendor fix commit and the GitHub issue, not proof-of-concept exploit code.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 30, 2026

pgAdmin 4 server mode before 9.19 can let any authenticated pgAdmin user inherit libpq credentials belonging to the operating-system account that runs pgAdmin, by setting a server's Service or a service/servicefile connection parameter to a service entry that holds a password, password file, or client certificate. The same exposure applies to PGPASSWORD/PGSERVICE inherited by libpq and to pg_dumpall interpreting a maintenance database name such as service=... as a connection string; desktop mode is not affected. No public exploit was identified at time of analysis, and the issue is fixed in 9.19.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: pgAdmin 4 9.19. Upgrade to 9.19 or later; after upgrading, SERVER_MODE_ALLOWED_SERVICES defaults to empty, so no libpq services are permitted in server mode, the servicefile parameter is refused, and PGPASSWORD/PGSERVICE are removed from pgAdmin's environment at startup. Only populate SERVER_MODE_ALLOWED_SERVICES if a specific service is required, recognizing that listing a service shares its credentials with every pgAdmin user. If upgrading is not immediately possible, run pgAdmin in desktop mode rather than server mode, or remove credential-bearing entries from the pgAdmin OS account's ~/.pg_service.conf or PGSERVICEFILE/PGSYSCONFDIR and unset PGPASSWORD/PGSERVICE for that account; the trade-off is loss of passwordless/service-based connections, and this does not address every path such as user-controlled service=... maintenance database names passed to pg_dumpall. See the fix commit https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/commit/a0c8f4857f732c6f5e5bacf4b289b811bb5c6a06 and issue https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/10654.

Affected VersionsENISA

pgAdmin 4 0 <9.19

Affected Packages

euvd pgadmin_4 fix: 9.19

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

pgAdmin 4 server mode is a multi-user web deployment where libpq connections are made on behalf of pgAdmin users using the environment and files of the OS account running pgAdmin. libpq resolves service names from ~/.pg_service.conf or PGSERVICEFILE/PGSYSCONFDIR, and can take a password from the service entry, a password file, a client certificate, or PGPASSWORD/PGSERVICE in the environment. The flaw is CWE-522 (insufficiently protected credentials): server mode did not prevent a user-supplied Service value or service/servicefile connection parameter from resolving credentials of the service account, and pg_dumpall treated a maintenance database name like service=... as a connection string. The upstream fix introduces SERVER_MODE_ALLOWED_SERVICES (empty by default), refuses servicefile in server mode, removes PGPASSWORD and PGSERVICE from pgAdmin's environment at startup, rechecks the allowlist on the final connection string, and wraps the pg_dumpall database name as a connection string. The assessed vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N) reflects an authenticated user and high complexity because exploitation depends on host-side configuration the attacker cannot directly set.

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Severity by source

Vendor (f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N
vuln.today AI 8.2 HIGH

Authenticated low-privileged pgAdmin user (PR:L) exploiting host-dependent service-file/env credentials (AC:H); stolen credentials act on a separate database, crossing scope (S:C) with high confidentiality and integrity impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007).

CVSS VectorVendor: f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
High
Subsequent system: Integrity
High
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Oct 30, 2026 - 21:18 EUVD
CVE Published
Oct 30, 2026 - 20:17 cve.org
HIGH 7.1

DescriptionCVE.org

libpq looks a connection service up in the service file of the operating-system account running pgAdmin 4, and an entry there can hold a password or name a password file or client certificate. In server mode any user could set a server's Service, or a "service" connection parameter, to one of those entries and connect with its credentials. A PGPASSWORD or PGSERVICE variable set for that account was likewise used by libpq for every connection without a value of its own and passed on to the utilities, and pg_dumpall read a maintenance database name such as "service=..." as a connection string.

The fix adds the SERVER_MODE_ALLOWED_SERVICES setting, empty by default: in server mode only a listed service can be used, the servicefile parameter is refused, and PGPASSWORD and PGSERVICE are removed from pgAdmin's environment at startup. The allowlist is checked again on the final connection string, and the pg_dumpall database name is wrapped as a connection string.

This issue affects pgAdmin 4: before 9.19.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2026-116245 affects pgAdmin 4 server mode deployments, allowing any authenticated user to inherit the operating system account's libpq credentials, potentially granting unauthorized access to downstream PostgreSQL databases. This is a high-severity, unpatched vulnerability that affects organizations relying on pgAdmin for database administration, and leadership should prioritize mitigation to prevent credential compromise and lateral movement within database environments.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include limiting pgAdmin server mode access to trusted networks, running pgAdmin with a low-privilege OS account, enforcing strong authentication and authorization, removing stored service entries with credentials, and monitoring for anomalous database connections. Apply vendor patch (pgAdmin 4 version 9.19 or later) as soon as it becomes available.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 95% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
widely used PostgreSQL admin GUI; only multi-user server mode is affected
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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