Apache Polaris: staged table creation could vend storage credentials for unvalidated locations
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-862.
Summary
Apache Polaris can issue broad temporary ("vended") storage credentials during staged table creation before the effective table location has been validated or durably reserved. Those temporary credentials are meant to limit the scope of accessible table data and metadata, but this scope limitation becomes attacker- directed because the attacker can choose a reachable target location. In the confirmed variant, if the caller supplies a custom `location` during stage create and requests credential vending, Apache Polaris uses that location to construct delegated storage credentials immediately. The stage-create path itself neither runs the normal location validation nor the overlap checks before those credentials are issued. Closely related to that, the staged-create flow also accepts `write.data.path` / `write.metadata.path` in the request properties and feeds those location overrides into the same effective table location set used for credential vending. Those fields are secondary to the main custom-`location` exploit, but they are still attacker-influenced location inputs that should be validated before any credentials are issued.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | Apache Polaris | before 1.4.1 | 1.4.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service (Maven) | before 1.4.1 | 1.4.1 | Patch available | GHSA-8ggj-j522-h5qf |
- Apache Polaris VendorApache Affected before 1.4.1 Fixed in 1.4.1 Patch available CNA
- org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service (Maven) Vendor— Affected before 1.4.1 Fixed in 1.4.1 Patch available GHSA-8ggj-j522-h5qf
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Apache Polaris (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 1.4.1
- Fix · GHSA-8ggj-j522-h5qf org.apache.polaris:polaris-runtime-service (Maven) Fixed in 1.4.1 Advisory →
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
Apache Polaris 1.4.1
4 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 4 MEDIUM
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-31029 Improper input validation in Apache PolarisPriority MEDIUM 43
- TI-2026-31028 Apache Polaris: could broaden vended S3 credentials through wildcard-bearing namespace or table namesPriority MEDIUM 43
- TI-2026-31030 Apache Polaris: No protection on `write.metadata.path`Priority MEDIUM 42
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-42809
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-8ggj-j522-h5qf
References
Advisory 3
More Apache Polaris vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-31029 Improper input validation in Apache Polaris CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-31028 Apache Polaris: could broaden vended S3 credentials through wildcard-bearing namespace or table names CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-31030 Apache Polaris: No protection on `write.metadata.path` CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-46201 Apache Polaris: register endpoint reads attacker-controlled storage location before allowed-locations validation CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 5.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-42809 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-42809 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-8ggj-j522-h5qf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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