pgAdmin 4 opens SSH tunnels in server mode without specifying the SSH identity to use. Because the sshtunnel library was given no host_pkey_directories or ssh_config_file, it defaulted to loading the unencrypted private key files from the operating‑system account that runs the pgAdmin service. This allows any authenticated user on the server to configure a tunnel that targets a host accepting the service account’s key, effectively letting the user reach that host as the service account. The vulnerability exposes privileged SSH credentials to unprivileged users and leads to unauthorized remote access or privilege escalation. The weakness is improper separation of user context from service account credentials, corresponding to CWE‑1188 and CWE‑522.

The affected product is pgAdmin 4, any version before 9.19. The issue exists in server mode and does not affect desktop mode. The product is published by pgadmin.org. In all versions that expose the server mode functionality, any operating‑system account that runs pgAdmin uses its SSH keys for tunnels, leaking those keys to database users who create tunnels.

The CVSS score of 7.1 signifies a high risk moderate severity, with exploitation not requiring network‑level access beyond the pgAdmin server. EPSS is not available, but because every user of the server can trigger the behavior, the probability of exploitation is high if no patch is applied. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, meaning there are no known widespread exploitation cases reported yet. Attackers can simply configure a tunnel in the web interface, using any target host, and the ssh‑agent and key material of the service account will be used, allowing remote access to that host without the attacker having any credentials.