CVE-2021-40828 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-295 vulnerability in software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk. A fix is available for software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper certificate management in AWS IoT Device SDK v2
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-40828 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
aws-iot-device-sdk-v2npmDescription
Connections initialized by the AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java (versions prior to 1.3.3), Python (versions prior to 1.5.18), C++ (versions prior to 1.12.7) and Node.js (versions prior to 1.5.1) did not verify server certificate hostname during TLS handshake when overriding Certificate Authorities (CA) in their trust stores on Windows. This issue has been addressed in aws-c-io submodule versions 0.9.13 onward. This issue affects: Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Java versions prior to 1.3.3 on Microsoft Windows. Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Python versions prior to 1.5.18 on Microsoft Windows. Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for C++ versions prior to 1.12.7 on Microsoft Windows. Amazon Web Services AWS IoT Device SDK v2 for Node.js versions prior to 1.5.3 on Microsoft Windows.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk | all versions | 1.3.3software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk:1.3.3 |
| 📦npm | aws-iot-device-sdk-v2 | all versions | 1.5.1npm install aws-iot-device-sdk-v2@1.5.1 |
| 🐍PyPI | awsiotsdk | all versions | 1.5.18pip install --upgrade 'awsiotsdk==1.5.18' |
Affected Products
amazon web services aws-c-ioamazonamazon web services internet of things device software development kit v2amazonDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update software.amazon.awssdk.iotdevicesdk:aws-iot-device-sdk to 1.3.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-40828 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-40828 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, npm, PyPI, including transitive dependencies.