Harmonix on AWS: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
CVE-2025-14503 is a high-severity incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability in Harmonix on AWS from AWS, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.2 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists version 0.4.2 as the first without the flaw, so updating Harmonix on AWS to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.52% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Harmonix on AWS to 0.4.2 or a later version.
- Update Harmonix to 0.4.2 or a later version.
- Read the advisory on aws.amazon.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | Harmonix on AWS | 0.3.0 up to, but not including, 0.4.2 | 0.4.2 |
| Amazon | Harmonix | 0.3.0 up to, but not including, 0.4.2 | 0.4.2 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.6 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.2 | High | CNA |
Official description
An overly-permissive IAM trust policy in the Harmonix on AWS framework may allow IAM principals in the same AWS account to escalate privileges via role assumption. The sample code for the EKS environment provisioning role is configured to trust the account root principal, which may enable any IAM principal in the same AWS account with sts:AssumeRole permissions to assume the role with administrative privileges. We recommend customers upgrade to Harmonix on AWS v0.4.2 or later if you have deployed the framework using versions v0.3.0 through v0.4.1.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.
More Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities (CWE-266)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Patches and release notes
- github.com/awslabs/harmonix/pull/189Issue Tracking
Recent Incorrect Privilege Assignment vulnerabilities
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
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