SQL injection in pgadmin.org pgAdmin 4
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- SQL injection
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-89.
Summary
The fix for CVE-2026-12044 in pgAdmin 4 9.16 hardened qtLiteral and switched sixteen COMMENT ON / pgstattuple / pgstatindex templates to it, but missed several sinks that had been placed in test_sql_string_literal_lint.py's ALLOWLIST on the incorrect assumption that schema, table, publication, and subscription names sourced from pg_catalog via the browser tree could never contain an apostrophe. PostgreSQL permits arbitrary characters in quoted identifiers, so a low-privileged user able to CREATE TABLE, CREATE PUBLICATION, or CREATE SUBSCRIPTION can plant an apostrophe'd object name that breaks out of the unescaped '{{ name }}' template interpolation the moment any user (including a higher-privileged one) opens that object's Statistics or Dependencies tab, allowing arbitrary SQL statement injection in the viewing user's database session. Affected sinks: the Index Statistics query for all-indexes listing (coll_stats.sql, both the 16_plus and default PostgreSQL-version template variants -- distinct from the single-index stats.sql path already fixed in CVE-2026-12044), and the publication and subscription dependencies.sql / get_position.sql templates (both the pg and ppas/EPAS dialect variants for publications). Fix switches all of these templates to qtLiteral(conn) for name interpolation, and updates publications/__init__.py and subscriptions/__init__.py to pass conn=self.conn into the dependencies.sql render_template call so the qtLiteral filter has a connection to quote against. The corresponding ALLOWLIST entries in test_sql_string_literal_lint.py are removed now that these sinks are properly escaped rather than merely assumed safe. A behavioral regression test renders each fixed template with a stacked-statement apostrophe payload and asserts both that the object name appears exactly as qtLiteral-escaped and that the rendered SQL parses as exactly one statement, verifying the assertion genuinely fails against the pre-patch raw-interpolation form. This issue affects pgAdmin 4: the Index Statistics sink from 1.0, and the Publications/Subscriptions sinks from 5.0, both before 9.17.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pgadmin.org | pgAdmin 4 | 1.0 to before 9.17 | 9.17 | Patch available | CNA |
| pgadmin.org | pgAdmin 4 | 5.0 to before 9.17 | 9.17 | Patch available | CNA |
- pgAdmin 4 Vendorpgadmin.org Affected 1.0 to before 9.17 Fixed in 9.17 Patch available CNA
- pgAdmin 4 Vendorpgadmin.org Affected 5.0 to before 9.17 Fixed in 9.17 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:pgadmin:pgadmin_4:*:*:*:*:*:postgresql:*:* | 1.0 to before 9.17 | Vulnerable | pgadmin.org |
- cpe:2.3:a:pgadmin:pgadmin_4:*:*:*:*:*:postgresql:*:* Versions 1.0 to before 9.17 Vulnerable ·pgadmin.org
Remediation
- Fix · CNA pgAdmin 4 (pgadmin.org) Fixed in 9.17
- Fix · CNA pgAdmin 4 (pgadmin.org) Fixed in 9.17
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
pgadmin.org pgAdmin 4 9.17
6 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 3 MEDIUM, 3 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-14311 SQL injection in pgadmin.org pgAdmin 4Priority MEDIUM 43
- TI-2026-14309 pgAdmin 4: Adhoc server clone leaks another user's stored database credentials and ownership to a non-ownerPriority MEDIUM 42
- TI-2026-14308 Missing authentication in pgadmin.org pgAdmin 4Priority LOW 37
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-17346
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vmj8-4452-jj72
References
More pgadmin.org Pgadmin 4 vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-01901 Unsafe Deserialisation and Remote Code Execution by an Authenticated user in pgAdmin 4 CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.9
- TI-2024-02918 Remote Code Execution Vulnerability through the validate binary path API in pgAdmin 4 CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-03867 Code injection in pgadmin4 CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-06875 pgAdmin 4: Cross-user data access and shared-server privilege escalation in server mode CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2025-02572 pgAdmin 4: Remote Code Execution in Query Tool and Cloud Deployment CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.9
- TI-2023-00228 Path traversal in pgadmin CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
Sources
- CVE-2026-17346 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-17346 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vmj8-4452-jj72 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-17346 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences