CVE-2020-10729: Ansible Insufficiently Random Values Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h
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CVSS 5.0
CWE-330
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-10729 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.0) insufficiently random values vulnerability (CWE-330: Use of Insufficiently Random Values) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves insufficiently random values in ansible. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.6.

CVE-2020-10729 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-10729
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.0
CWE Classification CWE-330: Use of Insufficiently Random Values
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.0

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:R/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 Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-10729

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: 2.9.6 
pip install ansible>=2.9.6
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-2020-10729, 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 2.9.6), 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-330: Use of Insufficiently Random Values, where the product uses insufficiently random numbers or values in a security context that depends on unpredictable numbers. 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 the use of insufficiently random values in Ansible. Two random password lookups of the same length generate the equal value as the template caching action for the same file since no re-evaluation happens. The highest threat from this vulnerability would be that all passwords are exposed at once for the file. This flaw affects Ansible Engine versions before 2.9.6.

CVE-2020-10729 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.9.6
2.9.6

References

NVD — CVE-2020-10729 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10729
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/34144
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/67429
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/c520d70bf4748c8ee6718a7d0d0254051ba1c2e9
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1831089
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.6/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-105.yaml
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4950

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-10729?
CVE-2020-10729 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Insufficiently random values in Ansible under CWE-330: Use of Insufficiently Random Values.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9.6 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2020-10729?
Upgrading to 2.9.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.9.6. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-10729?
CVE-2020-10729 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-10729?
CVE-2020-10729 is classified under CWE-330: Use of Insufficiently Random Values (The product uses insufficiently random numbers or values in a security context that depends on unpredictable numbers.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-10729?
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-r6h7-5pq2-j77h",
  "modified" : "2024-09-10T19:16:40Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-15T16:10:11Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-10729" ],
  "summary" : "Insufficiently random values in Ansible",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in the use of insufficiently random values in Ansible. Two random password lookups of the same length generate the equal value as the template caching action for the same file since no re-evaluation happens. The highest threat from this vulnerability would be that all passwords are exposed at once for the file. This flaw affects Ansible Engine versions before 2.9.6.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/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" : "2.9.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10729"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/34144"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/67429"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/c520d70bf4748c8ee6718a7d0d0254051ba1c2e9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1831089"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-r6h7-5pq2-j77h"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.6/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-105.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4950"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-330" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-06-01T19:55:24Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-27T19:15:00Z"
  }
}