CVE-2025-12967 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-470 (Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code, also known as 'Unsafe Reflection') affecting AWS Wrappers for Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL. The issue allows a low-privilege authenticated user to create a specially crafted function that can be executed with the permissions of other Amazon RDS users, including the highly privileged rds_superuser role. This privilege escalation occurs because the wrappers improperly handle externally supplied input to dynamically select classes or code paths, enabling unsafe reflection. The affected components include AWS JDBC Wrapper, Go Wrapper, NodeJS Wrapper, Python Wrapper, and PGSQL ODBC driver. Exploiting this vulnerability requires an authenticated user with low privileges and some user interaction, but no administrative privileges or complex attack vectors. The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive database operations, data modification, or disruption of service. AWS has addressed this issue by releasing updated versions of the wrappers: JDBC Wrapper v2.6.5, Go Wrapper 2025-10-17, NodeJS Wrapper v2.01, Python Wrapper v1.4.0, and PGSQL ODBC driver v1.0.1. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) indicates network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required beyond low privilege, user interaction required, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

For European organizations utilizing Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL with AWS Wrappers, this vulnerability poses a significant risk of privilege escalation, potentially allowing attackers to gain rds_superuser privileges. This can lead to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or disruption of database services, severely impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical business data. Given the widespread adoption of AWS cloud services across Europe, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, exploitation could result in regulatory non-compliance, financial losses, and reputational damage. The requirement for authenticated access limits the attack surface to insiders or compromised accounts, but the ease of exploitation and high privileges gained amplify the threat. The vulnerability could also facilitate lateral movement within cloud environments, increasing the scope of impact.

European organizations should immediately upgrade all affected AWS Wrappers to the patched versions: JDBC Wrapper to v2.6.5, Go Wrapper to 2025-10-17, NodeJS Wrapper to v2.01, Python Wrapper to v1.4.0, and PGSQL ODBC driver to v1.0.1. Additionally, restrict the ability to create or execute user-defined functions to trusted and minimal sets of users. Implement strict monitoring and alerting on database function creation and privilege escalations. Employ strong authentication mechanisms and enforce least privilege principles for database users. Conduct regular audits of database roles and permissions to detect anomalies. Consider network segmentation and use of AWS security features such as IAM policies and RDS security groups to limit access. Finally, maintain up-to-date incident response plans tailored to cloud database environments.