# A restore... and your entire system belongs to the hacker - the story from CVE-2025-12762

## **Introduction to** **CVE-2025-12762**

To better understand this vulnerability, we will go through some basic concepts. **PgAdmin** is known as the most popular PostgreSQL management and development tool today, widely used by system administrators (DBAs), developers, and organizations operating data infrastructure. It is **open-source** software that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to manage PostgreSQL databases in an intuitive, easy-to-use, and efficient way.

![CVE-2023-5002 pgAdmin RCE, LDAP Injection](https://securityonline.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/pgadmin4-welcome-light.png align="center")

**PgAdmin** fully supports basic to advanced administration functions, including:

* Managing connections to multiple PostgreSQL servers
    
* Creating, editing, and deleting tables, schemas, views, functions
    
* Running SQL queries with the Query Tool
    
* Monitoring and managing sessions, processes, locks
    
* Backing up and restoring data
    
* Monitoring database activity and performance
    
* Integrating tools for developers and DBAs
    

**CVE-2025-12762** was disclosed by cybersecurity experts on November 13, 2025. According to the report, this is a **Remote Code Execution (RCE)** vulnerability found in pgAdmin 4. This could allow attackers to interact directly with the database to steal information and create new administrator accounts.

## **Scope of Impact**

Affected versions: pgAdmin 4 **≤ 9.9** when running in "server mode" and using the restore function from a PLAIN format dump file.

## **Severity Assessment**

CVE-2022-45822 is rated as **CRITICAL** with the following scores:

* **NIST**: NVD **Base Score**: 9.8 - CRITICAL **Vector**: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    
* **CNA**: Patchstack **Base Score**: 9.1 - CRITICAL **Vector**: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
    

## **Analysis and Exploitation of the Vulnerability**

As mentioned above, this is a **Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability** affecting **pgAdmin 4 running in server mode** when performing a restore from dump files in **PLAIN** format. If the dump file contains special commands, pgAdmin might accidentally execute them on the host machine.

An attacker would first log into the pgAdmin Web interface. From there, they could:

* Access the pgAdmin file manager
    
* Upload files to the pgAdmin temporary directory
    
* Execute jobs like *restore*, *backup*, *import/export*
    

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1763655155912/2a3feab8-65ac-4530-b407-81cea73f5d30.png align="center")

Are you wondering how attackers get the password to log in? Usually, they have three main ways to do it:

* **Method 1:** Use a weak admin password. With this method, it might only take 10–50 tries to guess it if the password is "easy to guess."
    
* **Method 2:** Passwords are exposed in configuration files like `config_`[`distro.py`](http://distro.py), `config_`[`local.py`](http://local.py), or `servers.json`. If the server is accessed or the configuration repo is leaked, attackers can get the login information.
    
* **Method 3:** Internal phishing to fake login information. This is quite common nowadays, where attackers use AI to create fake websites and emails that look legitimate to trick victims into providing login details.
    

After logging in, attackers will upload a PLAIN dump file with malicious content. The core issue is that in **PLAIN format**, PostgreSQL dumps allow the use of meta-commands `“\!“`, which is a legitimate feature of `psql` used to run commands on the operating system. Attackers just need to prepare dump files with seemingly legitimate SQL commands and upload them.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1763656443875/c8d92a78-5129-4d33-a801-599240d1aa40.png align="center")

After uploading the file, the attacker just needs to request pgAdmin to restore the uploaded dump file. From there, they can access any database (usually `postgres`). As is known, **pgAdmin** does not filter, disable, or sandbox meta-commands (`\!`, `\set`, …) in PLAIN dump files.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1763656558778/4b43d3b1-1e9e-4b19-8d21-15b5cd68da36.png align="center")

Once the restore begins, the pgAdmin restore process:

* Reads the dump file
    
* Encounters the system command `\! something`
    
* Directly passes the command to the shell of the host running pgAdmin
    

At this point, the attacker can easily perform RCE on the system and **write files, open a reverse shell, install a backdoor, modify configurations, or pivot the network. Finally, they will:**

* Check if the execution was successful (based on a marker file or log)
    
* Spread malware, crypto-miners, or backdoors
    
* Conduct lateral movement activities within the internal network
    

## **Recommendation**

1. **Update pgAdmin 4 to the patched version**
    
    * Upgrade to **pgAdmin 4 ≥ 9.10** — this version has fixed the vulnerability.
        
    * Check the current version:
        
        ```plaintext
        pip show pgadmin4
        ```
        
    * If deploying with Docker:
        
        ```plaintext
        docker pull dpage/pgadmin4:latest
        ```
        
2. **Temporarily disable the PLAIN Restore feature**
    
    * Due to the vulnerability stemming from handling **plain-format dump files**, you should:
        
        * Only allow restores from **Custom** or **Directory** formats.
            
        * Prohibit or restrict users from uploading `.sql` PLAIN dump files until the update is complete.
            
        * For deployments with a reverse proxy (Nginx, Apache), you can block `.sql` uploads.
            
3. **Limit access to pgAdmin (server mode)**
    
    * pgAdmin should absolutely not be exposed to the Internet.
        
        * Only allow access:
            
            * From the internal LAN
                
            * From VPN
                
            * From firewall whitelist
                
        * On Linux:
            
        
        * ```plaintext
            ufw allow from 10.0.0.0/24 to any port 5050
            ufw deny 5050
            ```
            

## **Summary**

The **CVE-2025-12762** vulnerability in pgAdmin 4 highlights a concerning reality: a seemingly harmless function like **restoring a database from a dump file** can become an attack point leading to **Remote Code Execution** and full server takeover. With a **CVSS severity of 9.1**, this vulnerability is particularly dangerous for systems operating in **server mode**, where many users can interact and upload files.

The issue lies in pgAdmin's handling of PLAIN dump files without adequately controlling input data, allowing attackers to insert malicious commands and execute them at the operating system level. This means the impact extends far beyond the pgAdmin application, directly threatening the **server**, **database**, and even **related systems** within the same infrastructure.

Therefore, **immediate updates**, **comprehensive checks**, and **enhanced dump file controls** are mandatory steps to protect the system. This incident is also an important reminder that in system security, supporting components like administrative tools can become critical weaknesses if not properly monitored and updated.

## **Reference**

1. [Critical pgAdmin Flaws (CVE-2025-12762, CVSS 9.1) Allow Remote Code Execution via PostgreSQL Dump Files](https://securityonline.info/critical-pgadmin-flaws-cve-2025-12762-cvss-9-1-allow-remote-code-execution-via-postgresql-dump-files/)
    
2. [Blackash-CVE-2025-12762/](https://github.com/B1ack4sh/Blackash-CVE-2025-12762/blob/main/CVE-2025-12762.py)[CVE-2025-12762.py](http://CVE-2025-12762.py) [at main · B1ack4sh/Blackash-CVE-2025-12762 · GitHub](https://github.com/B1ack4sh/Blackash-CVE-2025-12762/blob/main/CVE-2025-12762.py)
    
3. [NVD - CVE-2025-12762](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-12762)