Path Traversal in aws:downloadContent of amazon-ssm-agent <3.3.4515.0
CVE-2026-81849 Published on August 28, 2026
Path traversal in the aws:downloadContent plugin in amazon-ssm-agent
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.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-81849 can be exploited with network access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity and availability.
Weakness Type
Relative Path Traversal
The software uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize sequences such as ".." that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory. This allows attackers to traverse the file system to access files or directories that are outside of the restricted directory.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-81849
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Affected Versions
amazon-ssm-agent:- Before 3.3.4515.0 is affected.