CVE-2026-44308 in spring-cloud-aws
Summary
by MITRE • 05/14/2026
Spring Cloud AWS simplifies using AWS managed services in a Spring and Spring Boot applications. From 3.0.0 to 4.0.1, pplications using Spring Cloud AWS SNS HTTP/HTTPS endpoint support (@NotificationMessageMapping, @NotificationSubscriptionMapping, @NotificationUnsubscribeConfirmationMapping) did not verify the signature of incoming SNS messages. An unauthenticated attacker who knows the endpoint URL could send crafted HTTP POST requests mimicking SNS Notification or SubscriptionConfirmation messages. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.0.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2026
Spring Cloud AWS represents a critical integration layer that enables spring applications to seamlessly interact with amazon web services, particularly through simplified configurations for services like simple notification service sns. the vulnerability under analysis affects versions 3.0.0 through 4.0.1 where applications utilizing the sns http/https endpoint support mechanisms face a significant security weakness. these mechanisms include the notificationmessagemapping, notificationsubscriptionmapping, and @notificationunsubscribeconfirmationmapping annotations that facilitate handling sns notifications within spring applications. the fundamental flaw lies in the complete absence of signature verification for incoming sns messages, creating a critical authentication gap that allows unauthenticated attackers to exploit the system.
the technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the lack of cryptographic verification mechanisms that should validate the authenticity of incoming sns messages. when applications receive notifications or subscription confirmations through http/https endpoints, they should validate the signature using the aws signature version 4 process to ensure the message originated from legitimate aws services. without this verification, attackers can craft malicious http post requests that appear to come from sns, potentially leading to unauthorized message processing, data manipulation, or service disruption. this vulnerability directly maps to cwe-347 weakness category related to insufficient cryptographic verification and aligns with attack techniques described in the attack tree framework where adversaries exploit missing authentication mechanisms to gain unauthorized access.
the operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple message processing, as it potentially allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions within applications that rely on sns notifications. attackers could manipulate subscription confirmations to gain access to sensitive endpoints, disrupt notification flows, or even trigger unintended application behaviors that could lead to data breaches or service availability issues. the attack surface becomes particularly dangerous when applications process sensitive data based on sns notifications, as the attacker could effectively bypass security controls that should protect against unauthorized message processing. this vulnerability also impacts the broader aws ecosystem integration security model where proper message authentication is essential for maintaining trust boundaries between services.
the remediation approach requires updating to version 4.0.2 or later where proper signature verification has been implemented. organizations should conduct immediate assessment of their spring cloud aws implementations to identify systems affected by this vulnerability and ensure all applications using sns endpoint mappings have been updated. security teams should also implement monitoring for suspicious http requests to sns endpoints and consider implementing additional security layers such as aws api gateway with proper authentication mechanisms. the fix addresses the core issue by implementing proper signature validation according to aws standards, ensuring that only legitimately signed messages from aws services are processed by spring applications. this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of cryptographic verification in distributed systems and aligns with security best practices outlined in aws security guidelines and nist cybersecurity framework requirements for message authentication and integrity verification.