CVE-2020-8897 json
Robustness weakness in AWS KMS and Encryption SDKs
published 2020-11-16 5 y ago modified 2026-09-10 1 mo ago also GHSA-wqgp-vphw-hphf , PYSEC-2020-261 , EUVD-2020-0050
- cvss
- 4.8
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 0.4%
- EPSS 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 34%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
A weak robustness vulnerability exists in the AWS Encryption SDKs for Java, Python, C and Javalcript prior to versions 2.0.0. Due to the non-committing property of AES-GCM (and other AEAD ciphers such as AES-GCM-SIV or (X)ChaCha20Poly1305) used by the SDKs to encrypt messages, an attacker can craft a unique cyphertext which will decrypt to multiple different results, and becomes especially relevant in a multi-recipient setting. We recommend users update their SDK to 2.0.0 or later.
Patch / fix
- maven com.amazonaws:aws-encryption-sdk-java 2.0.0
- pypi aws-encryption-sdk 2.0.0
- Amazon AWS SDK 2.0.0
Exploit prediction
0.40% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 34% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
Exploits and checks
- github.com https://github.com/google/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-wqgp-vphw-hphf referenced PoC, tagged "exploit" by a source, unverified
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 4.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N |
| NVD | 3.1 | 8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| NVD | 2.0 | 5.5 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:N |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
Affected packages
| ecosystem | package | affected | fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| maven | com.amazonaws:aws-encryption-sdk-java | <2.0.0 |
2.0.0 |
| pypi | aws-encryption-sdk | <2.0.0 |
2.0.0 |
Affected products
- Amazon AWS SDK
Classification
References
-
github.com
/google/security-research/security/advisories/GHSA-wqgp-vphw-hphf
web, exploit, mitigation, third-party-advisory, advisory
-
aws.amazon.com
/blogs/security/improved-client-side-encryption-explicit-keyids-and-key-commitment/
vendor-advisory, article
-
nvd.nist.gov
/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8897
advisory
-
aws.amazon.com
/blogs/security/improved-client-side-encryption-explicit-keyids-and-key-commitment
web
-
github.com
/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/aws-encryption-sdk/PYSEC-2020-261.yaml
web
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2020-8897
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-wqgp-vphw-hphf
- NVD CVE-2020-8897
- OSV PYSEC-2020-261
Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.