CVE-2018-16876: Ansible Ansible Sensitive Information Disclosure Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j569-fghw-f9rx
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16876 is a HIGH (CVSS 5.3) ansible sensitive information disclosure vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible sensitive information disclosure. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5.

CVE-2018-16876 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16876
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j569-fghw-f9rx
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2018-16876

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: 2.5.14 
pip install ansible>=2.5.14
ansible fixed: 2.6.11 
pip install ansible>=2.6.11
ansible fixed: 2.7.5 
pip install ansible>=2.7.5
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-2018-16876, 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 2.5.14), 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. 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 before versions 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5 is vulnerable to a information disclosure flaw in `vvv+` mode with no_log on that can lead to leakage of sensible data.

CVE-2018-16876 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.5.142.6.112.7.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.5.14
2.5.14
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.6.0a1
< 2.6.11
2.6.11
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.7.0a1
< 2.7.5
2.7.5

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16876 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16876
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/51318
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/49569
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/e0a81d133ffc8f7067182c53cf6a28c724dd1099
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/0954942dfdc563f80fd3e388f550aa165ec931da
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/424c68f15ad9f532d73e5afed33ff477f54281a7
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4396
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227100904/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106225
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-2019-141.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-2018-16876
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:05... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0590
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:05... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0564
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3838
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3837
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3836
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3835
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00021.html
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00077.html
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00020.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16876?
CVE-2018-16876 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible sensitive information disclosure under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16876?
Upgrading to 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5. Upgrade your dependency to 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16876?
CVE-2018-16876 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16876?
CVE-2018-16876 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2018-16876?
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-j569-fghw-f9rx",
  "modified" : "2024-11-18T16:26:21Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:07:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16876" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible sensitive information disclosure",
  "details" : "ansible before versions 2.5.14, 2.6.11, 2.7.5 is vulnerable to a information disclosure flaw in `vvv+` mode with no_log on that can lead to leakage of sensible data.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/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" : "2.5.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.6.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.7.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16876"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/51318"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/49569"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/e0a81d133ffc8f7067182c53cf6a28c724dd1099"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/0954942dfdc563f80fd3e388f550aa165ec931da"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/424c68f15ad9f532d73e5afed33ff477f54281a7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4396"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227100904/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106225"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2019-141.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16876"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0590"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:0564"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3838"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3837"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3836"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3835"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00077.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00020.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-22T22:10:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-01-03T15:29:00Z"
  }
}