Partial Path Traversal in com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

7.9 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L

EPSS

• CVE-2022-31159: 1.62% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 76.05 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Overview A partial-path traversal issue exists within the downloadDirectory method in the AWS S3 TransferManager component of the AWS SDK for Java v1. Applications using the SDK control the destinationDirectory argument, but S3 object keys are determined by the application that uploaded the objects. The downloadDirectory method allows the caller to pass a filesystem object in the object key but contained an issue in the validation logic for the key name. A knowledgeable actor could bypass the validation logic by including a UNIX double-dot in the bucket key. Under certain conditions, this could permit them to retrieve a directory from their S3 bucket that is one level up in the filesystem from their working directory. This issue’s scope is limited to directories whose name prefix matches the destinationDirectory. E.g. for destination directory/tmp/foo, the actor can cause a download to /tmp/foo-bar, but not /tmp/bar. Versions of the AWS Java SDK for S3 v1 before and including…

Published by the source

15 Jul 2022, 20:44 UTC

Last modified by the source

27 Jan 2023, 05:05 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:01 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-c28r-hw5m-5gv3

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2022-31159

Advisory: Partial Path Traversal in com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3
IDs: CVE-2022-31159, GHSA-c28r-hw5m-5gv3
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2022-31159 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:01 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.9)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3 1.12.261. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3: affected < 1.12.261; fixed in 1.12.261

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c28r-hw5m-5gv3 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-c28r-hw5m-5gv3 lists affected ranges: Maven com.amazonaws:aws-java-sdk-s3 >=0 <1.12.261)

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