CVE-2021-3620: Ansible Ansible Discloses Sensitive Information Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4r65-35qq-ch8j
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-209
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-3620 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) ansible discloses sensitive information vulnerability (CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible discloses sensitive information in traceback error message. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.27.

CVE-2021-3620 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-3620
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4r65-35qq-ch8j
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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 None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-3620

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: 2.9.27 
pip install ansible>=2.9.27
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-2021-3620, 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 2.9.27), 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-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information, where the product generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data. 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

Ansible is an IT automation system that handles configuration management, application deployment, cloud provisioning, ad-hoc task execution, network automation, and multi-node orchestration. A flaw was found in Ansible Engine's ansible-connection module where sensitive information, such as the Ansible user credentials, is disclosed by default in the traceback error message when Ansible receives an unexpected response from `set_options`. The highest threat from this vulnerability is confidentiality.

CVE-2021-3620 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9.27
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.9.27
2.9.27

References

NVD — CVE-2021-3620 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3620
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/fe28767970c8ec62aabe493c46b53a5de1e5fac0
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2021:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:3871
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2021:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:3872
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2021:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:3874
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2021:47... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:4703
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2021:47... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:4750
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3620
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1975767
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4r65-35qq-ch8j
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/stable-2.9/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2022-164.yaml
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00018.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3620?
CVE-2021-3620 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible discloses sensitive information in traceback error message under CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9.27 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2021-3620?
Upgrading to 2.9.27 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.9.27. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9.27 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-3620?
CVE-2021-3620 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-3620?
CVE-2021-3620 is classified under CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information (The product generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-3620?
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-4r65-35qq-ch8j",
  "modified" : "2024-09-09T21:00:59Z",
  "published" : "2022-03-04T00:00:17Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-3620" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible discloses sensitive information in traceback error message",
  "details" : "Ansible is an IT automation system that handles configuration management, application deployment, cloud provisioning, ad-hoc task execution, network automation, and multi-node orchestration. A flaw was found in Ansible Engine's ansible-connection module where sensitive information, such as the Ansible user credentials, is disclosed by default in the traceback error message when Ansible receives an unexpected response from `set_options`. The highest threat from this vulnerability is confidentiality.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.27"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3620"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/fe28767970c8ec62aabe493c46b53a5de1e5fac0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:3871"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:3872"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:3874"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:4703"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2021:4750"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3620"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1975767"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-4r65-35qq-ch8j"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/stable-2.9/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2022-164.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00018.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-209" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-03-24T21:40:53Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-03-03T19:15:00Z"
  }
}