CVE-2020-1737: Ansible Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-893h-35v4-mxqx
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-1737 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in ansible. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17.

CVE-2020-1737 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-1737
GHSA Identifier GHSA-893h-35v4-mxqx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
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:3.1/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-2020-1737

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: 2.8.9 
pip install ansible>=2.8.9
ansible fixed: 2.9.6 
pip install ansible>=2.9.6
ansible fixed: 2.7.17 
pip install ansible>=2.7.17
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-2020-1737, 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 2.8.9), 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. 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 flaw was found in Ansible 2.7.17 and prior, 2.8.9 and prior, and 2.9.6 and prior when using the Extract-Zip function from the win_unzip module as the extracted file(s) are not checked if they belong to the destination folder. An attacker could take advantage of this flaw by crafting an archive anywhere in the file system, using a path traversal. This issue is fixed in 2.10.

CVE-2020-1737 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.8.92.9.62.7.17
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.8.0a1
< 2.8.9
2.8.9
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.9.0a1
< 2.9.6
2.9.6
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.7.17
2.7.17

References

NVD — CVE-2020-1737 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1737
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/67795
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/67799
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/samdoran/ansible/commit/1de638b4d38d6d916588e2ad48d01f90dab8c36d
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/samdoran/ansible/commit/aaf549d7870b8687209a3282841b59207735b676
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/samdoran/ansible/commit/b60aa26e2313a8d52c0e0d3fd01696e797605b72
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1737
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-893h-35v4-mxqx
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-9.yaml
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/samdoran/ansible
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FWDK3QUVBULS3Q3PQTGEKUQYPSNOU5M3
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QT27K5ZRGDPCH7GT3DRI3LO4IVDVQUB7
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U3IMV3XEIUXL6S4KPLYYM4TVJQ2VNEP2
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202006-11

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-1737?
CVE-2020-1737 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Path Traversal in Ansible under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2020-1737?
Upgrading to 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17. Upgrade your dependency to 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-1737?
CVE-2020-1737 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-1737?
CVE-2020-1737 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-1737?
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-893h-35v4-mxqx",
  "modified" : "2024-09-06T17:59:40Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-20T16:43:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-1737" ],
  "summary" : "Path Traversal in Ansible",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in Ansible 2.7.17 and prior, 2.8.9 and prior, and 2.9.6 and prior when using the Extract-Zip function from the win_unzip module as the extracted file(s) are not checked if they belong to the destination folder. An attacker could take advantage of this flaw by crafting an archive anywhere in the file system, using a path traversal. This issue is fixed in 2.10.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/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" : "2.8.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.9.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.17"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1737"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/67795"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/67799"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/samdoran/ansible/commit/1de638b4d38d6d916588e2ad48d01f90dab8c36d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/samdoran/ansible/commit/aaf549d7870b8687209a3282841b59207735b676"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/samdoran/ansible/commit/b60aa26e2313a8d52c0e0d3fd01696e797605b72"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1737"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-893h-35v4-mxqx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-9.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/samdoran/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FWDK3QUVBULS3Q3PQTGEKUQYPSNOU5M3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QT27K5ZRGDPCH7GT3DRI3LO4IVDVQUB7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U3IMV3XEIUXL6S4KPLYYM4TVJQ2VNEP2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202006-11"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-05T18:58:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-03-09T16:15:00Z"
  }
}