CVE-2026-7818
pgAdmin 4: Unsafe deserialization (CWE-502) in file-backed session manager leads to remote code execution
Description
Deserialization of untrusted data (CWE-502) in pgAdmin 4 FileBackedSessionManager. The session manager performed unsafe deserialization of session-file contents (using Python's standard object-serialization module) before performing any HMAC integrity check. Any file dropped into the sessions directory was deserialized unconditionally. An authenticated user with write access to the sessions directory (whether by misconfiguration or in combination with another path-traversal flaw) could plant a crafted serialized payload to achieve operating-system level remote code execution under the pgAdmin process identity. Fix prepends a 64-byte hex SHA-256 HMAC over the session body, computed with SECRET_KEY, and verifies it via hmac.compare_digest before any deserialization. The check is raised (rather than asserted) on empty SECRET_KEY so it is not stripped under -O. This issue affects pgAdmin 4: before 9.15.
INFO
Published Date :
May 11, 2026, 4:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
May 11, 2026, 5:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-7818
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007 | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007 |
Solution
- Update pgAdmin 4 to version 9.15 or later.
- Ensure SECRET_KEY is properly configured.
- Restrict write access to the sessions directory.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-7818.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/9901 |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-7818 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-7818
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-7818 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-7818 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
May. 11, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CWE CWE-502 -
New CVE Received by f86ef6dc-4d3a-42ad-8f28-e6d5547a5007
May. 11, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Deserialization of untrusted data (CWE-502) in pgAdmin 4 FileBackedSessionManager. The session manager performed unsafe deserialization of session-file contents (using Python's standard object-serialization module) before performing any HMAC integrity check. Any file dropped into the sessions directory was deserialized unconditionally. An authenticated user with write access to the sessions directory (whether by misconfiguration or in combination with another path-traversal flaw) could plant a crafted serialized payload to achieve operating-system level remote code execution under the pgAdmin process identity. Fix prepends a 64-byte hex SHA-256 HMAC over the session body, computed with SECRET_KEY, and verifies it via hmac.compare_digest before any deserialization. The check is raised (rather than asserted) on empty SECRET_KEY so it is not stripped under -O. This issue affects pgAdmin 4: before 9.15. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/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 Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added Reference https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/9901