CVE-2026-35562 Overview
CVE-2026-35562 is a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability affecting Amazon Athena ODBC driver versions prior to 2.1.0.0. The vulnerability stems from improper allocation of resources without limits in the parsing components, which could allow a threat actor to cause a denial of service condition by delivering specially crafted input that triggers excessive resource consumption during the driver's parsing operations.
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling), indicating that the affected parsing components fail to properly constrain the resources allocated when processing user-supplied data.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can cause denial of service by exploiting unbounded resource allocation in the Amazon Athena ODBC driver's parsing components, potentially disrupting database connectivity and business operations.
Affected Products
- Amazon Athena ODBC Driver versions before 2.1.0.0 (Windows)
- Amazon Athena ODBC Driver versions before 2.1.0.0 (Linux)
- Amazon Athena ODBC Driver versions before 2.1.0.0 (macOS Intel and ARM)
Discovery Timeline
- April 03, 2026 - CVE-2026-35562 published to NVD
- April 07, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-35562
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability exists within the parsing components of the Amazon Athena ODBC driver. When the driver processes input data, it fails to implement proper bounds checking or resource limits on the allocation operations. This architectural weakness allows an attacker to craft malicious input that forces the driver to consume excessive system resources—particularly memory and CPU cycles—during parsing operations.
The attack can be executed over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can cause high availability impact to the affected system, though confidentiality and integrity remain unaffected. This makes it a pure denial of service vulnerability focused on disrupting the normal operation of applications relying on the Athena ODBC driver for database connectivity.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2026-35562 is the absence of resource allocation limits within the driver's parsing logic. Specifically, the parsing components do not enforce maximum thresholds for memory allocation or processing iterations when handling input data. This design flaw allows unbounded resource consumption when processing specially crafted payloads, leading to resource exhaustion conditions that can render the driver—and dependent applications—unresponsive.
Attack Vector
The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, meaning an attacker can exploit the flaw remotely by sending crafted input to applications using the vulnerable Amazon Athena ODBC driver. The exploitation does not require any special privileges or user interaction.
The attack mechanism involves delivering malformed or oversized input data designed to trigger the unbounded allocation behavior in the parsing components. When the driver attempts to parse this crafted input, it enters a state of excessive resource consumption, ultimately leading to denial of service. Applications that process untrusted data through the Athena ODBC driver are particularly at risk.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-35562
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual memory consumption spikes in processes utilizing the Amazon Athena ODBC driver
- Application crashes or hangs when processing queries or data through Athena connections
- System resource exhaustion events correlated with ODBC driver activity
- Log entries indicating parsing failures or timeout conditions in database connectivity layers
Detection Strategies
- Monitor system resource utilization (memory, CPU) for processes using the Athena ODBC driver
- Implement application-level logging to capture parsing errors and abnormal processing times
- Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying resource exhaustion patterns
- Review connection logs for anomalous query patterns or malformed input attempts
Monitoring Recommendations
- Configure alerts for memory threshold breaches in applications using Athena ODBC connectivity
- Implement process monitoring to detect unexpected termination or unresponsiveness
- Enable detailed logging on systems utilizing the affected driver versions
- Establish baseline resource consumption metrics to identify deviation patterns
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-35562
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade to Amazon Athena ODBC Driver version 2.1.0.0 or later immediately
- Inventory all systems and applications using the Amazon Athena ODBC driver to identify vulnerable installations
- Implement network-level controls to restrict access to systems running vulnerable driver versions
- Monitor affected systems for signs of exploitation while patching is in progress
Patch Information
Amazon has addressed this vulnerability in Amazon Athena ODBC Driver version 2.1.0.0. Users should upgrade to this version or later to remediate the vulnerability. Updated driver packages are available for all supported platforms:
- Windows: Amazon Athena ODBC Driver Windows MSI
- Linux: Amazon Athena ODBC Driver RPM
- macOS Intel: Amazon Athena ODBC Driver Mac Intel
- macOS ARM: Amazon Athena ODBC Driver Mac ARM
For additional details, refer to the AWS Security Bulletin 2026-013 and the AWS Athena ODBC Driver Release Notes.
Workarounds
- Implement input validation at the application layer before data reaches the ODBC driver
- Deploy resource limits (e.g., memory cgroups on Linux) for processes using the vulnerable driver
- Restrict network access to systems running vulnerable configurations to trusted sources only
- Consider temporarily disabling or isolating non-critical applications using affected driver versions until patches can be applied
# Verify installed Amazon Athena ODBC driver version on Linux
rpm -qa | grep -i athenaodbc
# Check driver version on Windows (PowerShell)
# Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBCINST.INI\Amazon Athena ODBC Driver" | Select-Object Driver, DriverODBCVer
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
