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Athena Neptune Connector EUVDEUVD-2026-64067

| CVE-2026-77810 CRITICAL
Eval Injection (CWE-95)
2026-08-21 AMZN
9.4
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: AMZN
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate to Athena with query access
  2. Delivery
    Craft malicious federated query to Neptune
  3. Exploit
    Trigger code injection in connector (CWE-95)
  4. Execution
    Read Lambda properties and credentials
  5. Impact
    Pivot into AWS environment

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Eval input sanitization
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to be a user who can run Athena Federated Queries against an Amazon Neptune data source served by this connector - i.e., valid Athena/Neptune query access (CVSS PR:L, authenticated). The affected Neptune connector must be deployed at a version between 2024.15.1 and 2026.28.1. Limiting factors: this is not anonymous/unauthenticated (the attacker needs existing federated-query privileges), it only applies where the Neptune connector specifically is in use, and it does not require any user interaction or special client. There is no additional non-default feature toggle called out in the description beyond simply having the vulnerable connector reachable via Athena.

Impact

The signals are mostly aligned toward high priority: the CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity attack needing only low privileges and no user interaction, with high confidentiality, integrity and availability impact on both the vulnerable system and subsequent systems (VC/VI/VA/SC/SI/SA all H), yielding a 9.4 score. The one meaningful gate is PR:L - the attacker must already be an authorized Athena/Neptune user, so this is an insider or compromised-credential escalation path rather than an anonymous internet attack, which somewhat narrows the realistic threat population. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or public POC is present in the supplied data, so there is no evidence of active exploitation or automatable mass exploitation; the risk is elevated but currently theoretical/targeted rather than opportunistic. Any organization running this connector should still treat patching as urgent given the trivial complexity and the credential-exposure impact, but the requirement for existing query access is a genuine mitigating factor to weigh against the raw score.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An authorized analyst (or an attacker using stolen analyst credentials) with permission to query Neptune through Athena submits a crafted federated query whose input is evaluated as code by the Neptune connector, causing the connector's Lambda to disclose its own properties. The attacker reads environment configuration and any credentials held by the Lambda, then uses them to pivot deeper into the AWS environment. No public exploit code is known, but the low attack complexity makes weaponization straightforward for someone with query access.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv2 – Aug 21, 2026

Code injection in the AWS Athena Federated Query Neptune connector (versions 2024.15.1 through 2026.28.1) allows a low-privileged user with query access to Neptune via Athena to reach into and read properties of the AWS Lambda function that provides the connector's compute. Because Lambda environment properties commonly hold configuration and credential material, this exposes the underlying execution context to an authenticated attacker. No public exploit identified at time of analysis; the flaw was reported internally by Amazon (AMZN) and carries a CVSS 4.0 base score of 9.4.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Aug 21, 2026 - 20:15 CVSS 9.9

Code injection in the AWS Athena Federated Query Neptune connector (versions 2024.15.1 through 2026.28.1) lets a user authorized to query Neptune via Athena reach into and read properties of the Lambda function that provides the connector's compute, crossing an authorization boundary into the serverless execution environment. The flaw is a CWE-95 dynamic-code-evaluation issue reported by AWS (AMZN) and rated CVSS 9.9 due to scope change and full CIA impact. A vendor patch exists (v2026.30.1); there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and it is not listed in CISA KEV.

RemediationAI

Vendor-released patch: upgrade the aws-athena-query-federation deployment to v2026.30.1 or later (release: https://github.com/awslabs/aws-athena-query-federation/releases/tag/v2026.30.1), which is the primary and vendor-recommended fix. If you cannot immediately redeploy the connector Lambda, reduce exposure by restricting which principals can invoke the Neptune connector through Athena - tighten the IAM policies and Athena data-source/workgroup permissions so only trusted analysts can run federated queries against Neptune - and scrub any sensitive secrets out of the connector Lambda's environment variables (move them to Secrets Manager referenced at runtime), since the vulnerability exposes Lambda properties; the trade-off is added operational overhead and the fact that these controls limit blast radius but do not close the injection itself. Review the AWS security bulletin (https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/2026-087-aws/) and GHSA-v7c2-5wfg-qg44 for authoritative guidance.

Affected VersionsENISA

Athena Federated Query Neptune Connector 2024.15.1 ≤2026.28.1

Affected Packages

euvd athena_federated_query_neptune_connector no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The affected component is the Neptune connector within awslabs' aws-athena-query-federation, which lets Amazon Athena run federated SQL queries against an Amazon Neptune graph database by deploying a Lambda function as the query compute layer (CPE cpe:2.3:a:aws:athena_federated_query_neptune_connector). The root cause is classified as CWE-95 (Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code - 'Eval Injection'), meaning attacker-influenced query input is evaluated as code inside the connector rather than being treated purely as data. This lets a query author cross the boundary between the data plane (the Neptune query) and the control plane (the Lambda runtime and its properties).

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (AMZN) PRIMARY 9.4 CRITICAL
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
vuln.today AI 9.9 CRITICAL

Attacker needs existing Athena/Neptune query access (PR:L) over the network (AV:N/AC:L); code injection escapes into the Lambda runtime, a scope change (S:C) with full C/I/A impact.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Primary rating from Vendor (AMZN).

CVSS VectorVendor: AMZN

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
High
Subsequent system: Integrity
High
Subsequent system: Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
CVSS changed
Aug 21, 2026 - 20:22 NVD
9.9 (CRITICAL) 9.4 (CRITICAL)
CVE Published
Aug 21, 2026 - 19:34 cve.org
CRITICAL 9.9

DescriptionCVE.org

In the Neptune connector, a user with access to Neptune through Athena Federated Query could gain access to properties in the Lambda supplying the compute for the connector. To remediate this issue, users should upgrade to aws-athena-query-federation v2026.30.1 or later.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

The AWS Athena Federated Query Neptune connector (versions 2024.15.1-2026.28.1) contains a code injection flaw that allows authenticated users to extract credentials and configuration secrets from Lambda execution environments. This directly exposes database credentials, API keys, and service account tokens to any employee with basic Athena query permissions, creating immediate risk for unauthorized database access and lateral movement. Organizations using this connector must prioritize patching to prevent credential theft.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 72% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
niche AWS Athena connector used only for Neptune federated queries
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Very High

Priority Score

47
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +47
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Code Injection CRITICAL

Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.

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