pgAdmin 4: File Manager save_file writes through a symbolic link planted after the containment check

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-86861
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerPostgreSQL
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-09-17 16:18:17 UTC
Updated2026-09-17 20:18:50 UTC
DescriptionpgAdmin 4's File Manager save_file endpoint, which backs saving from the Query Tool and ERD, validated the requested path with Filemanager.check_access_permission() and then opened the file for writing with a plain open() call. CVE-2026-7819 had previously hardened the separate file upload path by opening its target with O_NOFOLLOW, so that the kernel refuses to follow a symbolic link at the final path component, but save_file was left on an unprotected open(). A symbolic link already present when the check ran was rejected by the check itself; the remaining exposure was a link substituted at the final path component in the interval between the check and the write, at which point the write followed the link and landed outside the user's storage directory, creating or overwriting an arbitrary file as the operating-system account running pgAdmin. Exploitation requires the ability to create or replace a symbolic link inside the requesting user's storage directory. pgAdmin exposes no interface that creates symbolic links, so this requires filesystem access to the pgAdmin host or to a shared or network-mounted storage backend, together with winning the timing window. The reporter did not achieve a write against a released version, having attempted approximately 63,000 racing requests without success; the reported defect is the uncovered write path rather than a demonstrated sandbox escape. The fix routes save_file's write through the same O_NOFOLLOW-protected helper already used by the upload path, so both File Manager write sinks carry identical kernel-enforced protection, and reports a symbolic-link refusal explicitly instead of surfacing the underlying system error text. Note that files created by save_file are now given mode 0600, inheriting the behaviour introduced for uploads. The protection covers the final path component; substitution of an intermediate directory component is not addressed by this change. This issue affects pgAdmin 4: from the introduction of the containment check in the File Manager save path before 9.18.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v4.0 6 MEDIUM from f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Problem Types: CWE-59 | CWE-367 | CWE-367 CWE-367 Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition | CWE-59 CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
4.0f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007Secondary6MEDIUMCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C...
4.0CNACVSS6MEDIUMCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
3.1f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007Secondary5.9MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L
3.1CNACVSS5.9MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L

CVSS v4.0 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
Low
Sub Conf.
None
Sub Integrity
None
Sub Availability
None

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Pgadmin.org PgAdmin 4 affected 9.18 custom Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/10385 f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007 github.com
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Vendor Comments And Credit

Discovery Credit

CNA: sec-rex <[email protected]> (en)

CNA: Dave Page <[email protected]> (en)

CNA: Ashesh Vashi <[email protected]> (en)

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