# CVE-2026-42810: Apache Polaris improper escaping in S3 delegated access policies

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42810-apache-polaris-improper-escaping-in-s3-delegated-access-policies  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-04. Updated: 2026-05-14  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-42810 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-05-04

Apache Polaris, a data management service, contains a flaw in how it handles special characters in table names. An attacker with basic permissions can create a table name containing a wildcard character to trick the system into granting access to other users' private data stored in Amazon S3. This could allow an unauthorized person to read, modify, or delete sensitive database files belonging to other teams or departments.

Technologies: [Apache Polaris](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/polaris). Vendors: [Apache](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/apache), [Maven](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/maven).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-42810 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-42810 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-42810?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 4 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** org.apache.polaris:polaris-core (Maven) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.4.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-42810?** Yes. org.apache.polaris:polaris-core (Maven): upgrade to 1.4.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-42810 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-42810?** Check whether you run Apache Polaris or org.apache.polaris:polaris-core (Maven) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- org.apache.polaris:polaris-core (Maven): upgrade to 1.4.1 or later

  ```sh
  # set org.apache.polaris:polaris-core to 1.4.1 in your pom.xml or build.gradle
  ```


## Technical details

Apache Polaris is vulnerable to improper input validation and improper escaping (CWE-20, CWE-116) when handling literal '*' characters in namespace and table names. When Polaris generates temporary S3 IAM policies for delegated access, these characters are reused unescaped in resource patterns and 's3:prefix' conditions. Because AWS IAM treats '*' as a wildcard, an attacker with 'TABLE_CREATE' permissions can craft a table name (e.g., '*.*') that generates credentials valid for the S3 storage paths of other tables. This allows an authenticated user to bypass Polaris permission checks to list, read, create, and delete objects in unauthorized S3 locations, including Iceberg metadata JSON files. The vulnerability is fixed in version 1.4.1.

## Affected products

- Apache Polaris before 1.4.1

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-42810
- GHSA-vxgg-mqx2-3w59

## Timeline

- 2026-05-02: disclosed: Initial disclosure on oss-security mailing list
- 2026-05-04: advisory: CVE published and NVD entry created
- 2026-05-12: patched: NIST analysis confirms fix in version 1.4.1

## References

- [https://lists.apache.org/thread/gg3qq9sqg4hdjmprqy46p40xmln61dm9](https://lists.apache.org/thread/gg3qq9sqg4hdjmprqy46p40xmln61dm9)
- [http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/02/11](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/05/02/11)

## Related threats

- [Apache Polaris arbitrary FileIO endpoint configuration](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-97395-apache-polaris-allows-an-authenticated-principal-with-permission)
- [Apache Polaris improper validation of write.metadata.path](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42812-apache-polaris-improper-validation-of-write-metadata-path)
- [Apache Polaris expression injection in GCS credential delegation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42811-apache-polaris-expression-injection-in-gcs-credential-delegation)
- [Apache Polaris improper authorization in staged table creation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42809-apache-polaris-improper-authorization-in-staged-table-creation)