Description
Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory in the aws:downloadContent plugin in amazon-ssm-agent before 3.3.4515.0 might allow an authenticated remote user whose ssm:SendCommand permission is restricted to the AWS-DownloadContent document, to write arbitrary files outside the intended download directory with root privileges, via crafted object keys in the S3 source the document is directed to retrieve. This issue may lead to arbitrary code execution as root if specific sensitive files are overwritten.
To remediate this issue, customers should upgrade amazon-ssm-agent to version 3.3.4515.0 or later.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| amazon | amazon-ssm-agent | < 3.3.4515.0 | 3.3.4515.0 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | amazon-ssm-agent | 3.3.4515.0-1.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2026-1813 |
| Amazon Linux 2 | amazon-ssm-agent | 3.3.4515.0-1.amzn2 | ALAS2-2026-3350 |
Advisories 2
- ALAS2023-2026-1813 Important: amazon-ssm-agent security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 14, 2026
- ALAS2-2026-3350 Important: amazon-ssm-agent security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 14, 2026
References
- https://github.com/aws/amazon-ssm-agent/releases/tag/3.3.4515.0 patch release-notes
- https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/2026-091-aws/ vendor-advisory