CVE-2025-14762
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in the AWS SDK for Ruby allows an attacker with write access to an S3 bucket to manipulate encrypted data keys, potentially causing decryption to produce different plaintext than originally encrypted. It affects Ruby applications using the AWS SDK for S3 encryption with instruction files. The risk is limited to scenarios where attackers already have S3 bucket write permissions.
💻 Affected Systems
- AWS SDK for Ruby (aws-sdk-s3 gem)
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Data integrity compromise where encrypted files decrypt to malicious content, potentially leading to data corruption, fraud, or system compromise if decrypted content is executed.
Likely Case
Data tampering where encrypted files decrypt to incorrect but non-malicious content, causing data integrity issues in applications relying on S3-encrypted data.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper IAM controls limit S3 bucket write access to trusted entities only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires S3 bucket write permissions and understanding of AWS encryption mechanisms. No public exploits observed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 1.208.0
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/aws/aws-sdk-ruby/security/advisories/GHSA-2xgq-q749-89fq
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update Gemfile to require 'aws-sdk-s3', '>= 1.208.0'. 2. Run 'bundle update aws-sdk-s3'. 3. Test encryption/decryption functionality. 4. Redeploy application.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Use metadata encryption instead of instruction files
allConfigure S3 encryption client to store encrypted data keys in object metadata rather than separate instruction files.
client = Aws::S3::Encryption::Client.new(..., instruction_file_suffix: nil)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict IAM policies to limit S3 bucket write access to only necessary trusted entities.
- Monitor S3 bucket access logs for unauthorized write attempts and implement alerting for suspicious encryption-related activities.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Gemfile.lock or run 'bundle show aws-sdk-s3' to see if version is below 1.208.0.Check Version:
ruby -e "require 'aws-sdk-s3'; puts Aws::S3::VERSION"Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm aws-sdk-s3 version is 1.208.0 or higher using 'gem list aws-sdk-s3' or checking Gemfile.lock.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual S3 PutObject operations on instruction files (*.instruction)
- Multiple encryption key modifications for same objects
Network Indicators:
- Increased S3 API calls to modify encrypted objects
- Patterns of overwriting instruction files
SIEM Query:
source="aws.s3" (eventName="PutObject" OR eventName="CopyObject") key LIKE "%.instruction" | stats count by userIdentity.arn, bucket