In recent years, the pgAdmin server tool has become a popular choice for the management of PostgreSQL databases. It provides a convenient and user-friendly interface to interact with the databases and perform various operations. However, a security vulnerability has been discovered in versions of pgAdmin prior to 7.6. This vulnerability has been assigned the identifier CVE-2023-5002 and poses a significant risk to users.

In this post, we'll dive deeper into the specifics of this vulnerability, including the exploit details, code snippets, and links to original references. We'll also discuss some mitigation strategies to protect your systems from being affected by this flaw.

Vulnerability Details

A flaw was found in the path validation process of the HTTP API within the pgAdmin server. When users perform actions that require external PostgreSQL utility tools, such as pg_dump and pg_restore, the server fetches the paths to these utilities from the user's input. Unfortunately, in versions prior to 7.6, the server failed to properly validate and control the execution of code on this API. As a consequence, authenticated users could leverage this vulnerability to run arbitrary commands on the server.

Here's a simple example of the vulnerable code snippet

@app.route('/api/v1/utility/<string:utility>', methods=['GET'])
def get_utility_path(utility):
    """
    Returns the path of the selected utility
    """
    path = find_utility(utility)
    if path is None:
        return jsonify({"path_error": "Utility not found"})
    else:
        return jsonify({"path": path})

The find_utility function attempts to find the path to the utility based on the user's input. However, due to the lack of proper validation, an attacker can manipulate the input and execute arbitrary commands.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first authenticate themselves with the pgAdmin server. Once authenticated, they can craft a malicious request to the vulnerable API endpoint:

POST /api/v1/utility/pwnage HTTP/1.1
Host: <TARGET>
X-Auth-Token: <AUTH_TOKEN>
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "input": "<MALICIOUS_PAYLOAD>"
}

In this example, the attacker replaces <TARGET> with the target server's domain or IP address, <AUTH_TOKEN> with their valid authentication token, and <MALICIOUS_PAYLOAD> with the arbitrary command they want to execute.

Original References

- The official pgAdmin website has announced this vulnerability along with the release of version 7.6 that addresses this issue. You can read more about it here: https://www.pgadmin.org/docs/pgadmin4/7.6/release_notes_7_6.html

- The CVE record for this vulnerability can be found here: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-5002

Mitigation Strategies

- Upgrade to pgAdmin 7.6 or later: The developers have fixed this vulnerability in pgAdmin 7.6 and recommend users to upgrade to this version as soon as possible.

- Restrict access to the pgAdmin server: Limit the access to your pgAdmin server to trusted users only. Do not expose your pgAdmin server to public networks or the internet unless absolutely necessary.

- Limit the privileges of the pgAdmin user: Configure your pgAdmin server to run as a user with limited privileges. This way, even if an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, the damage they can cause will be restricted.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-5002 is a critical security vulnerability in the pgAdmin server, which allows authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands on the server. By following the mitigation strategies outlined in this post and keeping your pgAdmin server up-to-date, you can significantly reduce the risk of being affected by this flaw. Always remember that the security of your systems is an ongoing process, and staying informed about the latest vulnerabilities and patches is essential for maintaining a robust security posture.

Timeline

Published on: 09/22/2023 14:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/04/2023 18:15:00 UTC