Improper Input Validation and Command Injection in AnsibleGHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm
HIGHFix: ansible/ansible#74960GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in ansible. A fix is available for ansible — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
ansible🐍ansible🐍ansibleReal-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, where a user's controller is vulnerable to template injection. This issue can occur through facts used in the template if the user is trying to put templates in multi-line YAML strings and the facts being handled do not routinely include special template characters. This flaw allows attackers to perform command injection, which discloses sensitive information. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality and integrity.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | all versions | 2.9.23rc1pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.9.23rc1' |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | ≥ 2.10.0a1&&< 2.10.11rc1 | 2.10.11rc1pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.10.11rc1' |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | ≥ 2.11.0a1&&< 2.11.2rc1 | 2.11.2rc1pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.11.2rc1' |
Affected Products
ansible automation platformredhatansible engineredhatansible towerredhatDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for ansible, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update ansible to 2.9.23rc1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.0 for RHEL 8 | ansible-0:2.9.23-1.el8ap | RHBA-2021:2703 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.9 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.9.23-1.el7ae | RHSA-2021:2663 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.9.23-1.el7ae | RHSA-2021:2664 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.