Overview
CVE-2025-9636 is a critical vulnerability found in pgAdmin versions up to and including 9.7, which allows attackers to exploit a Cross-Origin Opener Policy (COOP) issue. This vulnerability has significant implications for users of the affected software, as it can potentially lead to unauthorized account access, account takeover, data breaches, and privilege escalation. The severity of the vulnerability is heightened due to its potential to compromise systems and lead to data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-9636
Severity: High (7.9 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise, Data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
pgAdmin | <= 9.7 How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability, CVE-2025-9636, is a Cross-Origin Opener Policy (COOP) issue in pgAdmin. This flaw allows an attacker to manipulate the OAuth flow, a commonly used protocol for authorization. By exploiting this vulnerability, the attacker can bypass the normal authorization process and gain unauthorized access to the account. This could lead to subsequent account takeover, potential data breaches, and privilege escalation.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a simplified, conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. Assume that an attacker sends a malicious request to the OAuth endpoint:
POST /oauth/token HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"grant_type": "password",
"username": "admin",
"password": "malicious_payload",
"scope": "all"
}In this example, “malicious_payload” could be manipulated to exploit the COOP vulnerability, potentially leading to unauthorized account access or account takeover.
Mitigation
To mitigate the CVE-2025-9636 vulnerability, it is recommended to apply the vendor patch as soon as it becomes available. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, using Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) can provide temporary mitigation against potential exploits. Regular monitoring and analysis of system logs can also help in early detection of any unusual activities.
As part of the best security practices, it is also recommended to limit the privileges of users and applications wherever possible, and to enforce multi-factor authentication which can add an extra layer of security against unauthorized account access.
