{ "dataType": "CVE_RECORD", "dataVersion": "5.2", "cveMetadata": { "cveId": "CVE-2026-17566", "assignerOrgId": "f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007", "state": "PUBLISHED", "assignerShortName": "PostgreSQL", "dateReserved": "2026-07-27T14:43:12.802Z", "datePublished": "2026-07-31T16:00:22.738Z", "dateUpdated": "2026-08-01T03:56:13.838Z" }, "containers": { "cna": { "providerMetadata": { "orgId": "f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007", "shortName": "PostgreSQL", "dateUpdated": "2026-07-31T16:00:22.738Z" }, "title": "pgAdmin 4: RCE via backslash-escape mismatch in Import/Export Data query guard (incomplete defense, sibling gap to CVE-2025-13780)", "affected": [ { "vendor": "pgadmin.org", "product": "pgAdmin 4", "repo": "https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4", "modules": [ "Import/Export Data" ], "programFiles": [ "https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/blob/master/web/pgadmin/tools/import_export/__init__.py" ], "versions": [ { "status": "affected", "version": "0", "lessThan": "9.18", "versionType": "custom" } ], "defaultStatus": "unaffected" } ], "descriptions": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "pgAdmin 4's Import/Export Data tool builds a psql \\copy (...) command line by interpolating a user-supplied SQL query into a Jinja template and passing the rendered line to psql via --command. To stop an attacker from breaking out of the (...) wrapper, create_import_export_job() (route POST /import_export/job/, gated only by the ordinary, commonly-granted tools_import_export_data permission) validated the query with a hand-written parenthesis-balance checker, _is_query_parens_balanced(). That checker always treated a backslash before a single quote (\\') as escaping the quote, i.e. as if standard_conforming_strings were off. PostgreSQL has defaulted standard_conforming_strings to on since 9.1 (2010), the default on every PostgreSQL version pgAdmin 4 currently supports (13-18); under that default psql's own \\copy tokenizer treats \\ as an ordinary character, so a single quote immediately after it closes the string literal. A query such as SELECT 'a\\') TO PROGRAM 'echo pwned' x' was therefore accepted as \"balanced\" by pgAdmin's checker (which believed the ) was still inside the string), while psql, run through the actual rendered command line, closes the string at that point and treats the following ) as the end of the wrapping \\copy (...) subquery, exposing an attacker-chosen TO PROGRAM '' clause that psql executes via popen() -- independent of a subsequent syntax error later on the same line. This is the same class of bug as CVE-2025-12762/CVE-2025-13780 (RCE via psql meta-command/COPY injection during PLAIN-format dump restore), reached through an independently written defense in a different module (Import/Export Data rather than Restore) that had its own, different logic bug (inverted backslash-escape semantics rather than a BOM-defeated regex anchor).\n\nThe fix rejects any backslash inside a single-quoted string in the query outright, rather than picking one of the two possible psql interpretations. This is intentionally conservative: because the correct interpretation of \\ depends on the target server's standard_conforming_strings setting, which the checker cannot reliably know at validation time, refusing the query is safer than guessing.\n\nThis issue affects pgAdmin 4: from the introduction of _is_query_parens_balanced() before 9.18." } ], "references": [ { "url": "https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/10213", "tags": [ "issue-tracking" ] }, { "url": "https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/commit/1496fabe28c9f825f6bac0f0d000d9d3276322c3", "tags": [ "patch" ] } ], "metrics": [ { "format": "CVSS", "scenarios": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "Threat model: same as CVE-2025-12762/13780. An authenticated pgAdmin user (server mode) holding only the ordinary, routinely-granted \"Import/Export Data\" tool permission (tools_import_export_data) -- not an admin-only permission -- submits a single crafted POST to /import_export/job/ with is_query_export true and a query field containing the payload. No further user interaction, no special server-side configuration, and no elevated pgAdmin role is required. Successful exploitation runs an arbitrary OS command as the pgAdmin application server's service account, which is a privilege escalation beyond anything the Import/Export Data permission is meant to grant (database-query access, not host command execution) -- Scope Changed. Impact is full compromise of the pgAdmin host (C/I/A: High)." } ], "cvssV3_1": { "version": "3.1", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "LOW", "userInteraction": "NONE", "scope": "CHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH", "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL", "baseScore": 9.9, "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H" } }, { "format": "CVSS", "scenarios": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "Same reasoning as the CVSS 3.1 entry: network-reachable, low privilege required, no user interaction, host RCE compromises both pgAdmin's own authority (SC/SI/SA: High) and the underlying system data/integrity/availability (VC/VI/VA: High)." } ], "cvssV4_0": { "version": "4.0", "vectorString": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H", "baseScore": 9.4, "baseSeverity": "CRITICAL" } } ], "problemTypes": [ { "descriptions": [ { "lang": "en", "description": "CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')", "cweId": "CWE-78", "type": "CWE" }, { "lang": "en", "description": "CWE-115 Misinterpretation of Input", "cweId": "CWE-115", "type": "CWE" } ] } ], "credits": [ { "lang": "en", "value": "Arpit Jain (arpitjain099)", "type": "finder" }, { "lang": "en", "value": "Ashesh Vashi ", "type": "remediation developer" } ], "source": { "discovery": "EXTERNAL" } }, "adp": [ { "metrics": [ { "other": { "type": "ssvc", "content": { "timestamp": "2026-07-31T00:00:00+00:00", "options": [ { "Exploitation": "none" }, { "Automatable": "no" }, { "Technical Impact": "total" } ], "role": "CISA Coordinator", "version": "2.0.3", "id": "CVE-2026-17566" } } } ], "title": "CISA ADP Vulnrichment", "providerMetadata": { "orgId": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0", "shortName": "CISA-ADP", "dateUpdated": "2026-08-01T03:56:13.838Z" } } ] } }