CVE-2024-12746 is a SQL injection vulnerability classified under CWE-89 found in the Amazon Redshift ODBC Driver version 2.1.5.0 for Windows and Linux. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of special elements in SQL commands within the SQLTables and SQLColumns Metadata APIs. This flaw allows an attacker with limited privileges to inject malicious SQL code, thereby escalating their privileges within the Redshift environment. The vulnerability does not require authentication or user interaction, making it remotely exploitable over the network. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:L), and no user interaction (UI:P), with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability affects metadata retrieval functions, which are commonly used by applications and administrators to query database schema information. Exploiting this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands, potentially leading to unauthorized data access, modification, or disruption of database services. Amazon has addressed this issue in driver version 2.1.6.0 and recommends upgrading or alternatively reverting to the prior stable version 2.1.4.0. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the high severity and ease of exploitation make timely remediation essential.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data stored in Amazon Redshift clusters accessed via the affected ODBC driver. Attackers exploiting this flaw could escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive business intelligence data, customer information, or intellectual property. This could lead to data breaches, regulatory non-compliance (e.g., GDPR violations), financial losses, and reputational damage. Organizations relying on Redshift for critical analytics, especially in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and government, face heightened risk. Additionally, disruption of database services due to malicious SQL commands could impact operational continuity. Since the vulnerability affects a widely used data access driver, the attack surface includes any system or user connecting to Redshift via the vulnerable ODBC driver, increasing the scope of potential impact across European enterprises using AWS analytics services.

European organizations should immediately verify their use of Amazon Redshift ODBC Driver version 2.1.5.0 and take prompt action. The primary mitigation is to upgrade the driver to version 2.1.6.0, which contains the security fix. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, reverting to version 2.1.4.0 is a temporary workaround. Organizations should audit and restrict access to Redshift metadata APIs to trusted users only and monitor database logs for unusual metadata queries indicative of exploitation attempts. Implement network segmentation and strict access controls to limit exposure of Redshift endpoints. Employ runtime application self-protection (RASP) or database activity monitoring (DAM) solutions to detect and block SQL injection attempts. Regularly review and update incident response plans to include scenarios involving privilege escalation via SQL injection. Finally, ensure all relevant personnel are informed about the vulnerability and remediation steps to prevent delayed patching.