Amazon SSM Agent: Server-Side Request Forgery
CVE-2026-89049 is a critical-severity server-side request forgery vulnerability in Amazon SSM Agent from AWS, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.9 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 3.3.4851.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating Amazon SSM Agent to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.66% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 52% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Update Amazon SSM Agent to 3.3.4851.0 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 | Amazon SSM Agent | before 3.3.4851.0 | 3.3.4851.0 |
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
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- 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:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.5 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.9 | Critical | CNA |
Official description
A server-side request forgery issue due to improper validation of equivalent address representations in the port forwarding to remote hosts functionality in Amazon AWS Systems Manager Agent (SSM Agent) before 3.3.4851.0 on all platforms might allow an authenticated remote user to bypass the remote destination denylist and reach link-local endpoints, potentially obtaining the temporary IAM role credentials of a managed instance and acting with that role's permissions from outside the instance, via a crafted destination host value that uses an alternate representation of a denied link-local address. To remediate this issue, users should upgrade to version 3.3.4851.0 or later.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Server-Side Request Forgery
The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- If there is a known list of applications, IP, hostname, and/or domains to which the product is allowed to communicate, then use allowlists to ensure that outgoing requests are restricted to these known entities. The allowlists could be in the application code or possibly enforced by firewalls or network segmentation.
- If the product is expected to be able to connect to arbitrary IP addresses or domains, consider using a denylist that includes private network addresses, internal domain names, etc. The denylist could be in the application code or possibly enforced by firewalls or network segmentation.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
References
Advisories
Patches and release notes
Recent Server-Side Request Forgery vulnerabilities
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 8.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
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