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GHSA-jg4f-jqm5-4mgq CVE-2016-8628 PYSEC-2018-38

Ansible fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the Ansible controller

Critical PyPI
Severity
0.0 / 10
Critical · CVSS 4.0
Exploit chance (EPSS)
3.21%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Higher than 88.18% of scored vulnerabilities.
Known exploited
No
Not in CISA's catalog
Weakness
CWE-77 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Fix
2.2.0.0
Upgrade ansible to this version or later

Description

Ansible before version 2.2.0 fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the Ansible controller. An attacker with the ability to create special variables on the controller could execute arbitrary commands on Ansible clients as the user Ansible runs as.

Affected versions

PyPI

PackageVulnerableFixed in
ansible
< 2.2.0.0
2.2.0.0

How to fix

Move to the fixed version or later with your package manager, update the lockfile, and run your tests. If the package only arrives through another dependency, upgrade that dependency first. If none of its releases pulls a fixed version yet, force the version with your package manager's override.

ansible PyPI → 2.2.0.0

pip
pip install --upgrade "ansible>=2.2.0.0"
poetry
poetry add "ansible>=2.2.0.0"
uv
uv add "ansible>=2.2.0.0"

Severity breakdown

CVSS 4.0 0.0

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
None
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
High
Integrity (vulnerable system)
High
Availability (vulnerable system)
High
Confidentiality (subsequent systems)
High
Integrity (subsequent systems)
High
Availability (subsequent systems)
High

CVSS 3.0 9.1

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Weakness

CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')

The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.

How to prevent it
  • Architecture and Design: If at all possible, use library calls rather than external processes to recreate the desired functionality.
  • Implementation: If possible, ensure that all external commands called from the program are statically created.
  • Implementation: Assume all input is malicious. Use an "accept known good" input validation strategy, i.e., use a list of acceptable inputs that strictly conform to specifications. Reject any input that does not strictly conform to specifications, or transform it into something that does. When performing input validation, consider all potentially relevant properties, including length, type of input, the full range of acceptable values, missing or extra inputs, syntax, consistency across related fields, and conformance to business rules. As an example of business rule logic, "boat" may be syntactically valid because it only contains alphanumeric characters, but it is not valid if the input is only expected to contain colors such as "red" or "blue." Do not rely exclusively on looking for malicious or malformed inputs. This is likely to miss at least one undesirable input, especially if the code's environment changes. This can give attackers enough room to bypass the intended validation. However, denylists can be useful for detecting potential attacks or determining which inputs are so malformed that they should be rejected outright.
  • Operation: Run time: Run time policy enforcement may be used in an allowlist fashion to prevent use of any non-sanctioned commands.
  • System Configuration: Assign permissions that prevent the user from accessing/opening privileged files.

References

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Last updated by the source
  3. Latest EPSS score
AdvisorySeverityWhy it's related
GHSA-8ggh-xwr9-3373
Ansible Community General Collection is vulnerable to exposure of sensitive information
Medium Also affects ansible
GHSA-jpvw-p8pr-9g2x
Ansible symlink attack vulnerability
Medium Also affects ansible
GHSA-cpx3-93w7-457x
Ansible leaks password to logs
High Also affects ansible
GHSA-fh5v-5f35-2rv2
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in ansible
Medium Also affects ansible
GHSA-4r65-35qq-ch8j
Ansible discloses sensitive information in traceback error message
Medium Also affects ansible
GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm
Improper Input Validation and Command Injection in Ansible
High Also affects ansible
PYSEC-2021-126
A flaw was found in Ansible if an ansible user sets ANSIBLE_ASYNC_DIR to a subdirectory of a world writable directory.
Not rated yet Also affects ansible
GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h
Insufficiently random values in Ansible
Medium Also affects ansible
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