Missing SNI validation and inconsistent CA override function behavior within AWS IoT Device SDKs on Apple devices
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Spoofing
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-295.
Summary
The AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java, Python, C++ and Node.js appends a user supplied Certificate Authority (CA) to the root CAs instead of overriding it on macOS systems. Additionally, SNI validation is also not enabled when the CA has been “overridden”. TLS handshakes will thus succeed if the peer can be verified either from the user-supplied CA or the system’s default trust-store. Attackers with access to a host’s trust stores or are able to compromise a certificate authority already in the host's trust store (note: the attacker must also be able to spoof DNS in this case) may be able to use this issue to bypass CA pinning. An attacker could then spoof the MQTT broker, and either drop traffic and/or respond with the attacker's data, but they would not be able to forward this data on to the MQTT broker because the attacker would still need the user's private keys to authenticate against the MQTT broker. The 'aws_tls_ctx_options_override_default_trust_store_*' function within the aws-c-io submodule has been updated to address this behavior. This issue affects: Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java versions prior to 1.5.0 on macOS. Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Python versions prior to 1.7.0 on macOS. Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for C++ versions prior to 1.14.0 on macOS. Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Node.js versions prior to 1.6.0 on macOS. Amazon Web Services AWS-C-IO 0.10.7 on macOS.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java | before 1.5.0 | 1.5.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| AWS | AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Python | before 1.7.0 | 1.7.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| AWS | AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for C++ | before 1.14.0 | 1.14.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| AWS | AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Node.js | before 1.6.0 | 1.6.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| AWS | AWS-C-IO | 0.10.7 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| — | software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk (Maven) | before 1.5.0 | 1.5.0 | Patch available | GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj |
| — | aws-iot-device-sdk-v2 (npm) | before 1.6.0 | 1.6.0 | Patch available | GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj |
| — | awsiotsdk (PyPI) | before 1.7.0 | 1.7.0 | Patch available | GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj |
- AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java VendorAWS Affected before 1.5.0 Fixed in 1.5.0 Patch available CNA
- AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Python VendorAWS Affected before 1.7.0 Fixed in 1.7.0 Patch available CNA
- AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for C++ VendorAWS Affected before 1.14.0 Fixed in 1.14.0 Patch available CNA
- AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Node.js VendorAWS Affected before 1.6.0 Fixed in 1.6.0 Patch available CNA
- AWS-C-IO VendorAWS Affected 0.10.7 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk (Maven) Vendor— Affected before 1.5.0 Fixed in 1.5.0 Patch available GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj
- aws-iot-device-sdk-v2 (npm) Vendor— Affected before 1.6.0 Fixed in 1.6.0 Patch available GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj
- awsiotsdk (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 1.7.0 Fixed in 1.7.0 Patch available GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_aws-c-io:0.10.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.10.7 | Vulnerable | AWS |
| cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:java:*:* | before 1.5.0 | Vulnerable | AWS |
| cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* | before 1.6.0 | Vulnerable | AWS |
| cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:python:*:* | before 1.7.0 | Vulnerable | AWS |
| cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:c\+\+:*:* | before 1.14.0 | Vulnerable | AWS |
| cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Apple |
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_aws-c-io:0.10.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.10.7 Vulnerable ·AWS
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:java:*:* Versions before 1.5.0 Vulnerable ·AWS
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:* Versions before 1.6.0 Vulnerable ·AWS
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:python:*:* Versions before 1.7.0 Vulnerable ·AWS
- cpe:2.3:a:amazon:amazon_web_services_internet_of_things_device_software_development_kit_v2:*:*:*:*:*:c\+\+:*:* Versions before 1.14.0 Vulnerable ·AWS
- cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Apple
Remediation
- Fix · CNA AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java (Amazon Web Services) Fixed in 1.5.0
- Fix · CNA AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Python (Amazon Web Services) Fixed in 1.7.0
- Fix · CNA AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for C++ (Amazon Web Services) Fixed in 1.14.0
- Fix · CNA AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Node.js (Amazon Web Services) Fixed in 1.6.0
- Fix · GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk (Maven) Fixed in 1.5.0 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj aws-iot-device-sdk-v2 (npm) Fixed in 1.6.0 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj awsiotsdk (PyPI) Fixed in 1.7.0 Advisory →
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java 1.5.0
2 records Highest priority Priority LOW 2 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2021-17755 Inconsistent CA override function behavior within AWS IoT Device SDKs on Unix systemsPriority LOW 38
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-40831
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
References
Advisory 2
Other 10
- https://github.com/awslabs/aws-c-io/
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-cpp-v2
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-python-v2
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-java-v2
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-js-v2
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-java-v2/commit/46375e9b1bfb34109b9ff3b1eff9c770f9daa186
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-js-v2/commit/22f1989f5bdb0bdd9c912a5a2d255ee6c0854f68
- https://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-python-v2/commit/5aef82573202309063eb540b72cee0e565f85a2d
- https://github.com/awslabs/aws-c-io
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/awsiotsdk/PYSEC-2021-864.yaml
More AWS Amazon Web Services Aws-c-io vulnerabilities
- TI-2021-17755 Inconsistent CA override function behavior within AWS IoT Device SDKs on Unix systems CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2021-17753 TLS hostname validation issues within AWS IoT Device SDKs on Windows CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2021-40831 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-40831 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-j3f7-7rmc-6wqj · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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