GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78: AWS CLI Cli_history Database Does Not Restrict Vulnerability

MODERATE
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CVSS 5.9
CWE-276
Published
Advisory Summary

GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) cli_history database does not restrict vulnerability (CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions) affecting AWS CLI libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves cli_history database does not restrict file permissions on unix systems. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.44.38.

GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78 at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions
Affected Product AWS CLI
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected AWS CLI dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

awscli fixed: 1.44.38 
pip install awscli>=1.44.38
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show awscli

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show awscli

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of AWS CLI in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.44.38), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show awscli command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions, where during installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files. In AWS CLI, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

**Summary** AWS CLI is a command line tool for interacting with AWS services. When the cli_history feature is enabled, the history database file is created with default permissions, potentially allowing other local users on a multi-user system to read the file. **Impact** When cli_history is enabled, AWS CLI stores command history including command parameters and API request/response data in a local SQLite database. On multi-user Unix systems, the default file permissions may allow other local users to read this file, potentially exposing sensitive information. This issue only affects users who have explicitly enabled cli_history, which is disabled by default. **Impacted versions:** 1.13.0 - 1.44.37 (v1), 2.0.0 - 2.33.20 (v2) **Patches** This issue has been addressed in the latest versions 2.33.21 and 1.44.38 of AWS CLI. We recommend upgrading to the latest version and ensuring any forked or derivative code is patched to incorporate the new fixes. **Workarounds** Users can manually set restrictive permissions on the history database file. Alternatively, disable cli_history by removing `cli_history = enabled` from the AWS config file. **Resources** If there are any questions or comments about this advisory, contact AWS Security via the [vulnerability reporting page](https://aws.amazon.com/security/vulnerability-reporting) or directly via email to [aws-security@amazon.com](mailto:aws-security@amazon.com). Please do not create a public GitHub issue.

GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78 Affected AWS CLI Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.44.38
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
awscli
pypi/awscli
PyPI
≥ 1.13.0
< 1.44.38
1.44.38

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/aws/aws-cli/security/advisories/GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78
AWS CLI Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/aws/aws-cli

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78?
GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78 is a security vulnerability in AWS CLI involving cli_history database does not restrict file permissions on Unix systems under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions.
Which AWS CLI versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.44.38 across affected packages: awscli.
What version fixes GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78?
Upgrading to 1.44.38 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is awscli affected?
Yes, awscli is affected in releases prior to 1.44.38. Upgrade your dependency to 1.44.38 or later.
What is the CVSS score of GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78?
GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78?
GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78 is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions (During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show awscli'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78",
  "modified" : "2026-02-27T15:50:32Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-27T15:50:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "AWS CLI: cli_history database does not restrict file permissions on Unix systems",
  "details" : "**Summary**\nAWS CLI is a command line tool for interacting with AWS services. When the cli_history feature is enabled, the history database file is created with default permissions, potentially allowing other local users on a multi-user system to read the file.\n\n**Impact**\nWhen cli_history is enabled, AWS CLI stores command history including command parameters and API request/response data in a local SQLite database. On multi-user Unix systems, the default file permissions may allow other local users to read this file, potentially exposing sensitive information. This issue only affects users who have explicitly enabled cli_history, which is disabled by default.\n\n**Impacted versions:** 1.13.0 - 1.44.37 (v1), 2.0.0 - 2.33.20 (v2)\n\n**Patches**\nThis issue has been addressed in the latest versions 2.33.21 and 1.44.38 of AWS CLI. We recommend upgrading to the latest version and ensuring any forked or derivative code is patched to incorporate the new fixes. \n\n**Workarounds**\nUsers can manually set restrictive permissions on the history database file. Alternatively, disable cli_history by removing `cli_history = enabled` from the AWS config file.\n\n**Resources**\nIf there are any questions or comments about this advisory, contact AWS Security via the [vulnerability reporting page](https://aws.amazon.com/security/vulnerability-reporting) or directly via email to [aws-security@amazon.com](mailto:aws-security@amazon.com). Please do not create a public GitHub issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "awscli"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.13.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.44.38"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/aws/aws-cli/security/advisories/GHSA-747p-wmpv-9c78"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/aws/aws-cli"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-276" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-27T15:50:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}