How severe is GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg?

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg has a CVSS score of 7.3/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg?

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg affects the following packages: aws-sdk (npm), @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg?

Update aws-sdk to 2.814.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for aws-sdk, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg, including 4 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg?

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 2.1%, placing it in the 82th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

When was GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg published, and has it been updated?

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg was published on November 16, 2021 and was last updated on January 14, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

Prototype Pollution via file load in aws-sdk and @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loaderGHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg

HIGHFix: aws/aws-sdk-js#3585

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) vulnerability in aws-sdk. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for aws-sdk — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Also known asCVE-2020-28472

Published

Nov 16, 2021

Updated

Jan 14, 2025

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 12, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

2.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs82th percentile — riskier than 82% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.

aws-sdknpm

10.0Mdownloads / week

@aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loadernpm

1.8Mdownloads / week

Description

This affects the package @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader before 1.0.0-rc.9; the package aws-sdk before 2.814.0. If an attacker submits a malicious INI file to an application that parses it with loadSharedConfigFiles , they will pollute the prototype on the application. This can be exploited further depending on the context.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`aws-sdk`	all versions	2.814.0`npm install aws-sdk@2.814.0`
📦npm	`@aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader`	all versions	1.0.0-rc.9`npm install @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader@1.0.0-rc.9`

Affected Products

2 products · 20 configurations

Application

aws sdk for javasciptamazon

< 2.814.0

range

Application

aws shared configuration file loaderamazon

1 version

1.0.0

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

This affects the package @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader before 1.0.0-rc…

snyk.ioNVDJan 2021

This affects the package @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader before 1.0.0-rc…

snyk.ioNVDJan 2021

This affects the package @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader before 1.0.0-rc…

snyk.ioNVDJan 2021

This affects the package @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loader before 1.0.0-rc…

snyk.ioNVDJan 2021

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for aws-sdk, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update aws-sdk to 2.814.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg 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

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg in your dependencies?

Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

7.3/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

Low

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Weaponization

No known public exploit tooling found.

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

aws-sdk-js

4.1/10

Maintained0/10

Code-Review4/10

Branch-Protection6/10

Assessed Oct 5, 2026

Timeline

First exploit

Jan 28, 2021

Disclosed

Nov 16, 2021

Last updated

Jan 14, 2025

Identifiers

GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Websnyk.io Websnyk.io Websnyk.io Websnyk.io

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is high severity; 1 of 2 other CVEs affecting aws-sdk is rated as high or higher (top: high).

GHSA-j965-2qgj-vjmqCVE-2020-28472

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedJan 14, 2025

Prototype Pollution via file load in aws-sdk and @aws-sdk/shared-ini-file-loaderGHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GHSA-rrc9-gqf8-8rwg in your dependencies?