Is AWS CloudFormation safe to use?

AWS CloudFormation has a security risk score of 64.99/100 (MEDIUM risk). Our security analysis detected 122 findings. Review the detailed security assessment below to understand the specific risks before installation.

What are the security risks of AWS CloudFormation?

Based on our automated security analysis, AWS CloudFormation presents medium risk level. The extension is analyzed for malware patterns, secret exposure, network communications, permissions, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

How is the security score calculated?

Risky Plugins calculates security scores using weighted categories: severity of findings (25 points max), malware detections (35 points), secret exposure (28 points), network communications (10 points), and obfuscation (10 points). Scores range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater risk.

What does CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, MINIMAL risk mean?

CRITICAL (80-100): Severe security issues like malware. HIGH (60-79): Significant vulnerabilities. MEDIUM (40-59): Moderate security concerns. LOW (20-39): Minor issues. MINIMAL (0-19): Very low risk. Always review findings before installing any extension.

OpenVSX Registry Verified

AWS CloudFormation

Name: AWS CloudFormation
Availability: InStock
Author: amazonwebservices

by amazonwebservices

ab8dd5e2-313d-5afb-a22f-ec718a613416 | v1.0.0

MEDIUM risk

Risk verdict

Review before use

Score-based assessment (medium risk, 65/100). No analyst review available.

Analysis record

Analysed: 1 weeks ago
Version: v1.0.0
Artifact: SHA256 07B…6E3
Source: Findings (non-IoC)

Evidence ledger

Ranked by severity · findings with a source location link to the code viewer

56 detail rows

YARA Rule Matches

13 rules

Severity	Rule	Hits	Files	Metadata
LOW	`credential env files`	2	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`postinstall persistence mechanism`	3	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mappackage.jsonbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`postinstall crypto operations`	2	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`postinstall system command`	7	package.jsonreadme.mdLICENSE.txt +4 more	-
LOW	`postinstall registry modification`	3	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.jspackage.json	-
LOW	`postinstall obfuscation`	3	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.jssyntaxes/cloudformation.tmLanguage.json	-
LOW	`UsingShellInterpreterWhenExecutingOSCommands`	2	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.jsbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.map	-
LOW	`postinstall file manipulation`	3	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapreadme.mdbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`postinstall network communication`	3	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.jsTHIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.txt	-
LOW	`OriginsNotVerified`	2	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`postinstall file download`	3	readme.mdbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`NoUseWeakRandom`	2	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-
LOW	`DebuggerStatementsShouldNotBeUsed`	2	bundle/aws-iac-vscode.js.mapbundle/aws-iac-vscode.js	-

Show network indicators (66)

Publisher Evidence

Low

amazonwebservices

Publisher identity, store signals, distribution reach, and warning signals used for context. Treat this as supporting evidence, not a clean bill of health.

Noisy-finding weight

x1.00

Publisher domain

No domain

Missing

Store verification signal

Verified publisher

Verified

Extension portfolio

Portfolio

13 evidence rows available.

Finding Categories

Obfuscation

Network

IoC Indicators

YARA Rules Matched

13 rules(37 hits)

credential env files postinstall persistence mechanism postinstall crypto operations postinstall system command postinstall registry modification postinstall obfuscation UsingShellInterpreterWhenExecutingOSCommands postinstall file manipulation postinstall network communication OriginsNotVerified postinstall file download NoUseWeakRandom DebuggerStatementsShouldNotBeUsed

Security Analysis Summary

Security Analysis Overview

AWS CloudFormation is a OpenVSX Registry extension published by amazonwebservices. Version 1.0.0 has been analyzed by the Risky Plugins security platform, receiving a risk score of 64.99/100 (MEDIUM risk) based on 122 security findings.

Risk Assessment

This extension presents moderate security risk. Several findings were detected that may warrant attention. Users should carefully review the permissions and findings before installation.

Findings Breakdown

Medium: 79 finding(s)
Low: 43 finding(s)

What Was Analyzed

The security assessment covers multiple analysis categories:

Malware Detection: YARA rule matching against 2,400+ malware signatures
Secret Detection: Scanning for exposed API keys, tokens, and credentials
Static Analysis: Code-level security analysis for common vulnerability patterns
Network Analysis: Detection of suspicious network communications and endpoints
Obfuscation Detection: Identification of code obfuscation techniques

Developer Information

AWS CloudFormation is published by amazonwebservices on the OpenVSX Registry marketplace.

Recommendation

This extension is not recommended for installation without thorough manual review. Consider alternatives with lower risk scores, or contact the developer to address the identified security concerns.

Source Code Viewer

Source Code Not Available

Source code is not available for this version of the extension.

About This Extension

AWS CloudFormation language support: validation, completion, hover documentation, and cfn-lint diagnostics for JSON and YAML templates.

Frequently Asked Questions

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