CVE-2025-14762 is a cryptographic vulnerability classified under CWE-327 affecting the AWS SDK for Ruby, specifically its client-side encryption library used for encrypting and decrypting records stored in Amazon S3. The root cause is the missing cryptographic key commitment, which is a mechanism designed to bind the encrypted data key (EDK) to the ciphertext to prevent substitution attacks. In this case, when encrypted data keys are stored in an "instruction file" rather than as metadata directly associated with the S3 object, an attacker with write permissions to the S3 bucket can replace the EDK with a malicious one that decrypts to different plaintext. This undermines the integrity of the encrypted data, allowing tampering without detection. The vulnerability does not expose plaintext directly (no confidentiality loss) and does not affect availability, but it compromises data integrity. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.3 (medium), reflecting network attack vector, high attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and impact limited to integrity. AWS has released a fix in version 1.208.0 of the SDK, which introduces proper cryptographic key commitment to prevent this attack vector. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. Organizations relying on this SDK version for client-side encryption should upgrade to ensure cryptographic robustness and data integrity.

For European organizations, the primary impact is the potential for data integrity violations in encrypted data stored in S3 buckets when using the vulnerable AWS SDK for Ruby. An attacker with write access to the bucket could manipulate encrypted data keys to cause decryption to incorrect plaintext, potentially leading to corrupted data or unauthorized data manipulation without detection. This could affect compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, which require data integrity and protection against unauthorized modification. While confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted, the integrity breach could undermine trust in data authenticity and cause operational disruptions, especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure where data accuracy is paramount. Organizations using client-side encryption with the affected SDK version are at risk, particularly if they allow multiple users or services write access to S3 buckets. The medium severity rating suggests that while exploitation is not trivial, the consequences warrant prompt remediation to avoid data integrity issues.

1. Upgrade the AWS SDK for Ruby to version 1.208.0 or later immediately to incorporate the cryptographic key commitment fix. 2. Audit S3 bucket permissions to ensure that write access is limited strictly to trusted users and services, minimizing the risk of malicious EDK injection. 3. Review and enforce strict access control policies and use AWS IAM roles with least privilege principles. 4. Implement monitoring and alerting on S3 bucket changes, especially on instruction files and encrypted data keys, to detect unauthorized modifications early. 5. Validate the integrity of encrypted data regularly using cryptographic checksums or signatures beyond the SDK’s built-in mechanisms. 6. Educate developers and DevOps teams about the importance of using updated SDK versions and secure cryptographic practices. 7. Consider additional encryption layers or key management solutions that provide stronger binding between keys and ciphertext if client-side encryption is critical. 8. Test backup and recovery procedures to ensure data integrity can be restored in case of tampering.