# CVE-2026-116240: pgAdmin 4 path traversal in storage directory access

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116240-in-server-mode-pgadmin-4-validates-a-path-into-the-user-s  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-10-30. Updated: 2026-10-30  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-116240 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-10-30

pgAdmin 4, a web-based database management tool, improperly validates file paths in its server mode, allowing attackers to read, write, delete, or move files outside the intended user storage directory. An attacker with access to pgAdmin can exploit mismatches between the checked and used file paths to access sensitive files, including database credentials stored as Google client secrets, or manipulate other users' files.

Technologies: [Pgadmin 4](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/pgadmin-pgadmin-4). Vendors: [pgAdmin](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pgadmin).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-116240 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-116240 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-116240?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 30 October 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Pgadmin 4 before 9.19.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-116240?** Yes: fixed in pgAdmin 4 9.19. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-116240 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-116240?** Check whether you run Pgadmin 4 at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- Fixed in pgAdmin 4 9.19

## Technical details

The vulnerability stems from a mismatch between path validation in check_access_permission() and actual path usage across multiple file operations. Callers strip leading slashes, decode paths twice, or append paths without proper separators, allowing symlink traversal, double-decode bypass, and prefix-collision attacks. On POSIX systems, stripped absolute paths bypass the storage directory check; on Windows, drive letters escape it. The fix ensures validated paths are used consistently and opens files relative to the storage directory without following symlinks.

## Affected products

- pgAdmin pgAdmin 4 before 9.19

## Timeline

- 2026-10-30: disclosed

## Related threats

- [pgAdmin 4 session invalidation failure after password change](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116251-pgadmin-4-did-not-invalidate-a-user-s-existing-sessions-when)
- [pgAdmin 4 path traversal in server credentials](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116249-in-server-mode-pgadmin-4-resolves-a-server-s-password-file-ssl)
- [pgAdmin 4 unauthorized server sharing to all users](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116248-in-pgadmin-4-server-mode-only-administrators-are-meant-to-share)
- [pgAdmin credential injection via libpq service file](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116245-libpq-looks-a-connection-service-up-in-the-service-file-of-the)
- [pgAdmin 4 Kerberos credential exposure authentication bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-116244-when-a-pgadmin-4-connection-was-not-meant-to-use-a-kerberos-user)