CVE-2017-9450
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Amazon Web Services (AWS) CloudFormation bootstrap tools package (aka aws-cfn-bootstrap) before 1.4-19.10 allows local users to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by leveraging the ability to create files in an unspecified directory.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceLocal privilege escalation vulnerability in aws-cfn-bootstrap versions before 1.4-19.10 allows unprivileged local users to execute arbitrary code with root privileges by creating files in an unprotected directory used by the bootstrap tools.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 1.4-19.10CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if aws-cfn-bootstrap is installedRun command to list installed packages or check for presence of aws-cfn-bootstrap binaries/scripts (for example, 'rpm -qa | grep cfn' or 'dpkg -l | grep cfn' on Linux systems)Affected if The package is installed and the version is less than 1.4-19.10
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Determine the installed version numberExecute version check command for aws-cfn-bootstrap (for example, 'cfn-init --version' or check the package version via package manager)Affected if Version returned is below 1.4-19.10 (for example, 1.4-18, 1.4-10, or any version prior to 1.4-19.10)
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Locate the bootstrap tools directorySearch for directories used by cfn-bootstrap tools (commonly under /opt/aws/cfnbootstrap or similar AWS configuration paths)Affected if The directory exists and is writable by unprivileged users (permissions allow non-root write access)
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Verify directory permissions are insecureCheck ownership and permissions on the bootstrap tools directory (for example, 'ls -la /opt/aws/cfnbootstrap' or the identified path)Affected if The directory is owned by root but world-writable, or owned by a service account with weak permissions allowing unprivileged users to create files in it
You are affected if aws-cfn-bootstrap is installed with a version lower than 1.4-19.10 AND an unprotected directory used by the bootstrap tools exists with weak permissions that allow unprivileged local users to create files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data1.4-19.10
Upgrade aws-cfn-bootstrap to version 1.4-19.10 or later to remediate the vulnerability.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9450 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-9450 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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