OS Command Injection and Improper Input Validation in ansibleGHSA-gwr8-5j83-483c
HIGHFix: ansible/ansible#65686GHSA-gwr8-5j83-483c is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) 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-gwr8-5j83-483c 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 the solaris_zone module from the Ansible Community modules. When setting the name for the zone on the Solaris host, the zone name is checked by listing the process with the 'ps' bare command on the remote machine. An attacker could take advantage of this flaw by crafting the name of the zone and executing arbitrary commands in the remote host. Ansible Engine 2.7.15, 2.8.7, and 2.9.2 as well as previous versions are affected.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | all versions | 2.7.16pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.7.16' |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | ≥ 2.8.0a1&&< 2.8.8 | 2.8.8pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.8.8' |
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | ≥ 2.9.0a1&&< 2.9.3 | 2.9.3pip install --upgrade 'ansible==2.9.3' |
Affected Products
debian linuxdebianansibleredhatDetection & 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 2.7.16 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gwr8-5j83-483c 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.
Because a flaw exploit would depend on the use of Solaris and Red Hat does not support RHOSP on Solaris, the RHOSP Ansible package will not be updated at this time. Ansible Engine 2.7.15, 2.8.7, and 2.9.2 as well as previous versions are affected.
Currently, there is no mitigation for this issue.Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-gwr8-5j83-483c (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.7 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.7.16-1.el7ae | RHSA-2020:0217 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.8 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.8.8-1.el7ae | RHSA-2020:0216 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.9 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.9.4-1.el7ae | RHSA-2020:0215 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2 for RHEL 7 | ansible-0:2.9.4-1.el7ae | RHSA-2020:0218 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-gwr8-5j83-483c in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.