Apache Polaris: could broaden vended S3 credentials through wildcard-bearing namespace or table names
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub.
Summary
Apache Polaris accepts literal `*` characters in namespace and table names. When it later builds temporary S3 access policies for delegated table access, those same characters appear to be reused unescaped in S3 IAM resource patterns and `s3:prefix` conditions. In S3 IAM policy matching, `*` is treated as a wildcard rather than as ordinary text. That means temporary credentials issued for one crafted table can match the storage path of a different table. In private testing against Polaris 1.4.0 using Polaris' AWS S3 temporary- credential path on both MinIO and real AWS S3, credentials returned for crafted tables such as `f*.t1`, `f*.*`, `*.*`, and `foo.*` could reach other tables' S3 locations. The confirmed behavior includes: - reading another table's metadata control file ([Iceberg metadata JSON]); - listing another table's exact S3 table prefix ([table prefix]); - and, when write delegation was returned for the crafted table, creating and deleting an object under another table's exact S3 table prefix. A control case using ordinary different names did not allow the same cross-table access. A least-privilege AWS S3 variant was also confirmed in which the attacker principal had no Polaris permissions on the victim table and only the minimal permissions required to create and use a crafted wildcard table (namespace-scoped `TABLE_CREATE` and `TABLE_WRITE_DATA` on `*`). In that setup, direct Polaris access to `foo.t1` remained forbidden, but the attacker could still create and load `*.*`, receive delegated S3 credentials, and use those credentials to list, read, create, and delete objects under `foo.t1`. In Iceberg, the metadata JSON file is a control file: it tells readers which data files belong to the table, which snapshots exist, and which table version to read. So unauthorized access to it is already a meaningful confidentiality problem. The confirmed write-capable variant means the issue is not limited to disclosure.
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-core (Maven) | before 1.4.1 | 1.4.1 | Patch available | GHSA-vxgg-mqx2-3w59 |
- Apache Polaris VendorApache Affected before 1.4.1 Fixed in 1.4.1 Patch available CNA
- org.apache.polaris:polaris-core (Maven) Vendor— Affected before 1.4.1 Fixed in 1.4.1 Patch available GHSA-vxgg-mqx2-3w59
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Apache Polaris (Apache Software Foundation) Fixed in 1.4.1
- Fix · GHSA-vxgg-mqx2-3w59 org.apache.polaris:polaris-core (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-2026-31030 Apache Polaris: No protection on `write.metadata.path`Priority MEDIUM 42
- TI-2026-31027 Apache Polaris: staged table creation could vend storage credentials for unvalidated locationsPriority MEDIUM 42
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-42810
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vxgg-mqx2-3w59
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the below the 50th percentile
References
More Apache Polaris vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-31029 Improper input validation in Apache Polaris CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-31030 Apache Polaris: No protection on `write.metadata.path` CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-31027 Apache Polaris: staged table creation could vend storage credentials for unvalidated locations 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-2026-42810 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-42810 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vxgg-mqx2-3w59 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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