CVE-2018-10874: Ansible Ansible Improper Input Validation Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3xvg-x47j-x75w
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-426 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-10874 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) ansible improper input validation vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible improper input validation vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.6.0, 2.5.6, 2.6.1.

CVE-2018-10874 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-10874
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3xvg-x47j-x75w
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-10874

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ansible dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

ansible fixed: 2.4.6.0 
pip install ansible>=2.4.6.0
ansible fixed: 2.5.6 
pip install ansible>=2.5.6
ansible fixed: 2.6.1 
pip install ansible>=2.6.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show ansible

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2018-10874, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show ansible

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ansible in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.4.6.0), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show ansible command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path, where the product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control. In Ansible, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In ansible it was found that inventory variables are loaded from current working directory when running ad-hoc command which are under attacker's control, allowing to run arbitrary code as a result.

CVE-2018-10874 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.4.6.02.5.62.6.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.4.6.0
2.4.6.0
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.5
< 2.5.6
2.5.6
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.6
< 2.6.1
2.6.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-10874 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-10874
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/42067
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/44874addc7ea136f83c67d5869047ece02645fdb
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/1f80949f964a946773f9d3ac1899535bd2cc2b8e
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/10d6fe6c98cfee9a7be0fea6102ba5dec951aec7
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20201130165946/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041396
usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1 WEB
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-81.yaml
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-10874
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1596528
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-10874
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:00... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0054
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:25... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2585
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:23... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2321
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:21... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2166
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:21... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2152
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:21... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2151
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:21... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2150
access.redhat.com/errata/rhba-2018:37... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2018:3788

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-10874?
CVE-2018-10874 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible Improper Input Validation vulnerability under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.4.6.0, 2.5.6, 2.6.1 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2018-10874?
Upgrading to 2.4.6.0, 2.5.6, 2.6.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.4.6.0, 2.5.6, 2.6.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.4.6.0, 2.5.6, 2.6.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-10874?
CVE-2018-10874 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-10874?
CVE-2018-10874 is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path (The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2018-10874?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show ansible'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3xvg-x47j-x75w",
  "modified" : "2024-09-09T21:00:14Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:07:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-10874" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible Improper Input Validation vulnerability",
  "details" : "In ansible it was found that inventory variables are loaded from current working directory when running ad-hoc command which are under attacker's control, allowing to run arbitrary code as a result.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.4.6.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.5"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.5.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.6"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-10874"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/42067"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/44874addc7ea136f83c67d5869047ece02645fdb"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/1f80949f964a946773f9d3ac1899535bd2cc2b8e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/10d6fe6c98cfee9a7be0fea6102ba5dec951aec7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20201130165946/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041396"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-81.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-10874"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1596528"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-10874"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0054"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2585"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2321"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2166"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2152"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2151"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2150"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2018:3788"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-426" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-02-08T18:08:29Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-07-02T13:29:00Z"
  }
}