GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) Insufficient Random Values vulnerability in ansible. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Insufficiently random values in Ansible
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
A flaw was found in the use of insufficiently random values in Ansible. Two random password lookups of the same length generate the equal value as the template caching action for the same file since no re-evaluation happens. The highest threat from this vulnerability would be that all passwords are exposed at once for the file. This flaw affects Ansible Engine versions before 2.9.6.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | ansible | all versions | 2.9.6 |
Research 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. 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 to 2.9.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h 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 GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h 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 GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h across PyPI dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.