Improper Output Neutralization and Improper Encoding or Escaping of Output for Logs in ansibleGHSA-785x-qw4v-6872
MEDIUMFix: ansible/ansible#69653GHSA-785x-qw4v-6872 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.5) CWE-532 vulnerability in ansible. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. 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-785x-qw4v-6872 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
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
An Improper Output Neutralization for Logs flaw was found in Ansible when using the uri module, where sensitive data is exposed to content and json output. This flaw allows an attacker to access the logs or outputs of performed tasks to read keys used in playbooks from other users within the uri module. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | all versions | 2.10.0pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.10.0' |
Affected Products
debian linuxdebianansible engineredhatResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & 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 2.10.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-785x-qw4v-6872 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.
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.
Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.9.12 (downstream) and Ansible Engine 2.9.11 (upstream), as well as previous versions are affected by this flaw. Ansible Engine 2.9.12 version (upstream) on towards fixes the issue for upstream and Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.9.13 version is fixed (downstream). Red Hat Gluster Storage 3 and Red…
There is no mitigation for this issue.Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-785x-qw4v-6872 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.8 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.8.15-1.el7ae | RHSA-2020:3600 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-785x-qw4v-6872 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.