aws-kms-tls-auth vulnerable to memory overallocation
Key facts
- Attack vector
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- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
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- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from GitHub.
Summary
### Summary aws-kms-tls-auth is an optional utility for s2n-tls that enables customers to use AWS KMS keys as part of the PSK extension field in a TLS 1.3 handshake. An issue exists in this library that can lead to overallocation of memory potentially resulting in a denial of service. ### Impact The PSK extension field in TLS 1.3 uses length-prefixed lists to encode variable-length data. aws-kms-tls-auth interprets the length prefix incorrectly resulting in additional memory allocation. s2n-tls limits ClientHello messages to 64 KB. Due to this issue, the server may allocate up to 10× the received size, meaning a single message could trigger an allocation of up to 640 KB. Repeated allocations of this size could exhaust server resources and lead to a denial-of-service. No AWS services are affected. Applications should continue to follow best practices by limiting the number of in-flight handshakes and concurrent connections. Applications using the aws-kms-tls-auth crate should upgrade to version 0.0.3. **Impacted versions:** < 0.0.3 ### Patches This issue has been addressed in aws-kms-tls-auth v0.0.3 [1]. ### Workarounds There is no workaround. Applications using aws-kms-tls-auth should upgrade to the most recent release. ### Acknowledgement s2n-tls would like to thank Joshua Rogers (https://joshua.hu/) of AISLE Research Team (https://aisle.com/) for collaborating on this issue through the coordinated disclosure process. If there are any questions or comments about this advisory, contact AWS/Amazon Security via the vulnerability reporting page [2] or directly via email to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Please do not create a public GitHub issue. [1] https://crates.io/crates/aws-kms-tls-auth/0.0.3 [2] Vulnerability reporting page: https://aws.amazon.com/security/vulnerability-reporting
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-kms-tls-auth (crates.io) | before 0.0.3 | 0.0.3 | Patch available | GHSA-5whh-4q9j-7v28 |
- aws-kms-tls-auth (crates.io) Vendor— Affected before 0.0.3 Fixed in 0.0.3 Patch available GHSA-5whh-4q9j-7v28
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-5whh-4q9j-7v28 aws-kms-tls-auth (crates.io) Fixed in 0.0.3 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-03 Threatist record created from GHSA-5whh-4q9j-7v28
References
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences