CVE-2024-6238: pgAdmin 4 Information Disclosure Vulnerability

CVE-2024-6238 Overview

CVE-2024-6238 is an insecure default permissions vulnerability [CWE-276] affecting pgAdmin 4 version 8.8 and earlier. The flaw exists in the installation directory permissions on Debian and RHEL 8 platforms. Attackers with network access can gain unauthorized read access to files within the pgAdmin installation directory. The issue does not affect integrity or availability, only the confidentiality of files stored in the affected directory.

Critical Impact

Unauthorized access to the pgAdmin installation directory on Debian and RHEL 8 hosts can expose configuration data and other resources not intended for public read access.

Affected Products

• pgAdmin 4 versions up to and including 8.8
• pgAdmin 4 deployments on Debian Linux
• pgAdmin 4 deployments on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL 8)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-06-25 - CVE-2024-6238 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
• 2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-6238

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is categorized as Incorrect Default Permissions [CWE-276]. During installation of pgAdmin 4 on Debian or RHEL 8, the installation directory is created with permissions that are more permissive than required. This allows users or processes that should not have access to read files within the directory.

The network attack vector reflects pgAdmin's role as a web-based PostgreSQL administration tool. When pgAdmin is deployed as a server, files in the installation directory can be reachable through the running service. Only confidentiality is impacted; the issue does not permit code execution or file modification through this vector alone.

Root Cause

The root cause is the packaging and installation logic in pgAdmin 4 versions 8.8 and earlier. Directory permissions are not restricted to the intended service account and administrators. On Debian and RHEL 8 systems, the resulting mode grants broader read access than the principle of least privilege requires.

Attack Vector

An attacker with network reachability to a vulnerable pgAdmin 4 deployment, or with an unprivileged local account on the host, can enumerate and read files within the installation directory. No authentication or user interaction is required. Refer to the pgAdmin GitHub Issue #7605 for the maintainer discussion and technical context.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-6238

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected read access from unprivileged users or service accounts to files under the pgAdmin 4 installation directory
• Web server access logs showing requests that resolve to static files inside the pgAdmin installation path
• Presence of pgAdmin 4 packages at version 8.8 or earlier on Debian or RHEL 8 hosts

Detection Strategies

• Audit filesystem permissions on the pgAdmin installation directory using ls -ld and stat to identify world-readable or group-readable modes
• Compare installed pgAdmin 4 version against the fixed release using dpkg -l pgadmin4 on Debian or rpm -q pgadmin4 on RHEL 8
• Review reverse proxy and web server configurations to confirm that only intended endpoints are exposed

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Linux audit rules (auditd) on the pgAdmin installation directory to log read attempts by non-service accounts
• Forward host authentication, filesystem, and web server logs to a centralized analytics platform for correlation
• Alert on file access patterns from accounts that do not match the expected pgAdmin service user

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-6238

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade pgAdmin 4 to a version later than 8.8 on all Debian and RHEL 8 hosts
• Restrict permissions on the pgAdmin installation directory to the service account and administrative users
• Limit network exposure of the pgAdmin web interface to trusted management networks or VPN segments

Patch Information

The pgAdmin project addressed the packaging permission issue in releases after 8.8. Review the tracking discussion at pgAdmin GitHub Issue #7605 and apply the vendor-supplied package update for your platform. Reinstalling or upgrading the package resets directory permissions to the corrected values.

Workarounds

• Manually tighten permissions on the pgAdmin installation directory using chmod and chown to remove world-readable access
• Place pgAdmin behind an authenticated reverse proxy that restricts access to static resources
• Deploy pgAdmin inside a container or isolated host to reduce exposure of the installation directory to other local users

# Configuration example: restrict pgAdmin installation directory permissions
# Replace /usr/pgadmin4 with the actual installation path on your system
sudo chown -R root:pgadmin /usr/pgadmin4
sudo chmod -R o-rwx /usr/pgadmin4
sudo find /usr/pgadmin4 -type d -exec chmod 750 {} \;
sudo find /usr/pgadmin4 -type f -exec chmod 640 {} \;