CVE-2014-4678: Ansible Ansible Code Injection Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-66c7-5pwv-mm3j
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-4678 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) ansible code injection vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible code injection vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.4.

CVE-2014-4678 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-4678
GHSA Identifier GHSA-66c7-5pwv-mm3j
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2014-4678

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: 1.6.4 
pip install ansible>=1.6.4
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-2014-4678, 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 1.6.4), 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-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. 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

The safe_eval function in Ansible before 1.6.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted instructions. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-4657.

CVE-2014-4678 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 1.6.4
1.6.4

References

NVD — CVE-2014-4678 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-4678
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/5429b85b9f6c2e640074176f36ff05fd5e4d1916
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-203.yaml
groups.google.com/forum/message/raw WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/message/raw?msg=ansible-announce/ieV1vZvcTXU/5Q93ThkY9rIJ
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2014-4678
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/06/26/30
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/07/02/2
www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/... WEB
https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/freebsd-vid-2c493ac8-205e-11e5-a4a5-002590263bf5
www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/... WEB
https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/gentoo-linux-cve-2014-4678

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-4678?
CVE-2014-4678 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible Code Injection Vulnerability under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.4 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2014-4678?
Upgrading to 1.6.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 1.6.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-4678?
CVE-2014-4678 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-4678?
CVE-2014-4678 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2014-4678?
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-66c7-5pwv-mm3j",
  "modified" : "2024-09-10T22:17:40Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T22:01:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-4678" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible Code Injection Vulnerability",
  "details" : "The safe_eval function in Ansible before 1.6.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted instructions. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-4657.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/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" : "1.6.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-4678"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/5429b85b9f6c2e640074176f36ff05fd5e4d1916"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-203.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/message/raw?msg=ansible-announce/ieV1vZvcTXU/5Q93ThkY9rIJ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2014-4678"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/06/26/30"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/07/02/2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/freebsd-vid-2c493ac8-205e-11e5-a4a5-002590263bf5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/gentoo-linux-cve-2014-4678"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-15T22:33:52Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-02-20T03:15:00Z"
  }
}