CVE-2019-14856: Ansible Ansible Password Prompts Could Expose Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6fq2-x65v-v9h7
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-14856 is a HIGH (CVSS 6.5) ansible password prompts could expose vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible password prompts could expose passwords. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.8.6, 2.7.14, 2.6.20.

CVE-2019-14856 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-14856
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6fq2-x65v-v9h7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
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-2019-14856

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: 2.8.6 
pip install ansible>=2.8.6
ansible fixed: 2.7.14 
pip install ansible>=2.7.14
ansible fixed: 2.6.20 
pip install ansible>=2.6.20
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-2019-14856, 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 2.8.6), 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. 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

A data disclosure flaw was found in ansible. Password prompts in ansible-playbook and ansible-cli tools could expose passwords with special characters as they are not properly wrapped. A password with special characters is exposed starting with the first of these special characters. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality. This CVE exists due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2019-10206.

CVE-2019-14856 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.8.62.7.142.6.20
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.6
2.8.6
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.7.0
< 2.7.14
2.7.14
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.6.0
< 2.6.20
2.6.20

References

NVD — CVE-2019-14856 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-14856
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/63351
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/16684f118715a52e1c46d437652add9ca36423de
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/2cbd8775ca1271195169f62122df1f88b532e74f
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/40618d70e61af1123907a5fb246cc4fd35f1e5c3
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/7f4befdea77045fa83b5f2b304bd5e16b219f74c
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2020:07... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0756
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14856
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2019-146.yaml
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00021.html
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00026.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-14856?
CVE-2019-14856 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible password prompts could expose passwords under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.8.6, 2.7.14, 2.6.20 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2019-14856?
Upgrading to 2.8.6, 2.7.14, 2.6.20 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.8.6, 2.7.14, 2.6.20. Upgrade your dependency to 2.8.6, 2.7.14, 2.6.20 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-14856?
CVE-2019-14856 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-14856?
CVE-2019-14856 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2019-14856?
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-6fq2-x65v-v9h7",
  "modified" : "2024-11-18T16:26:24Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:02:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-14856" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible password prompts could expose passwords",
  "details" : "A data disclosure flaw was found in ansible. Password prompts in ansible-playbook and ansible-cli tools could expose passwords with special characters as they are not properly wrapped. A password with special characters is exposed starting with the first of these special characters. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality.\n\nThis CVE exists due to an incomplete fix for CVE-2019-10206.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/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" : "2.8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.20"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-14856"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/63351"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/16684f118715a52e1c46d437652add9ca36423de"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/2cbd8775ca1271195169f62122df1f88b532e74f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/40618d70e61af1123907a5fb246cc4fd35f1e5c3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/7f4befdea77045fa83b5f2b304bd5e16b219f74c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0756"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-14856"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2019-146.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00026.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-10-19T18:03:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-11-26T14:15:00Z"
  }
}