CVE-2024-9902
MEDIUMansible-core Incorrect Authorization vulnerability
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Blast Radius
ansible-core🐍ansible-core🐍ansible-core🐍ansible-core🐍ansible-coreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A flaw was found in Ansible. The ansible-core user module can allow an unprivileged user to silently create or replace the contents of any file on any system path and take ownership of it when a privileged user executes the user module against the unprivileged user's home directory. If the unprivileged user has traversal permissions on the directory containing the exploited target file, they retain full control over the contents of the file as its owner.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | ansible-core | all versions | 2.14.18rc1 |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible-core | ≥ 2.15.0b1&&< 2.15.13rc1 | 2.15.13rc1 |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible-core | ≥ 2.16.0b1&&< 2.16.13rc1 | 2.16.13rc1 |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible-core | ≥ 2.17.0b1&&< 2.17.6rc1 | 2.17.6rc1 |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible-core | ≥ 2.18.0b1&&< 2.18.0rc2 | 2.18.0rc2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for ansible-core. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update ansible-core to 2.14.18rc1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-9902 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2024-9902 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2024-9902. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-9902 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2024-9902 across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.