CVE-2017-7481: Ansible Ansible Fails To Properly Mark Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w578-j992-554x
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-7481 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) ansible fails to properly mark vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible fails to properly mark lookup-plugin results as unsafe. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.1.0, 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0.

CVE-2017-7481 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-7481
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w578-j992-554x
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
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-2017-7481

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: 2.3.1.0 
pip install ansible>=2.3.1.0
ansible fixed: 2.1.6.0 
pip install ansible>=2.1.6.0
ansible fixed: 2.2.3.0 
pip install ansible>=2.2.3.0
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-2017-7481, 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 2.3.1.0), 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. 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 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0, 2.3.1.0, and 2.4.0.0 fails to properly mark lookup-plugin results as unsafe. If an attacker could control the results of lookup() calls, they could inject Unicode strings to be parsed by the jinja2 templating system, resulting in code execution. By default, the jinja2 templating language is now marked as 'unsafe' and is not evaluated.

CVE-2017-7481 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.1.02.1.6.02.2.3.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.3.0.0
< 2.3.1.0
2.3.1.0
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.1.6.0
2.1.6.0
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.2.0.0
< 2.2.3.0
2.2.3.0

References

NVD — CVE-2017-7481 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-7481
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/fd30f5328986f9e1da434474481f32bf918a600c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/f0e348f5eeb70c1fb3127d90891da43b5c0a9d29
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/ed56f51f185a1ffd7ea57130d260098686fcc7c2
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/a1886911fcf4b691130cfc70dfc5daa5e07c46a3
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20170801122609/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98492
usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1 WEB
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00023.html
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-41.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-2017-7481
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017:25... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2524
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017:15... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1599
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1499
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1476
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017:13... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1334
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2017:12... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1244

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-7481?
CVE-2017-7481 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible fails to properly mark lookup-plugin results as unsafe under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.1.0, 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2017-7481?
Upgrading to 2.3.1.0, 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.3.1.0, 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.1.0, 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-7481?
CVE-2017-7481 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-2017-7481?
CVE-2017-7481 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2017-7481?
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-w578-j992-554x",
  "modified" : "2025-05-29T22:47:16Z",
  "published" : "2018-09-06T03:28:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-7481" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible fails to properly mark lookup-plugin results as unsafe",
  "details" : "Ansible before versions 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0, 2.3.1.0, and 2.4.0.0 fails to properly mark lookup-plugin results as unsafe. If an attacker could control the results of lookup() calls, they could inject Unicode strings to be parsed by the jinja2 templating system, resulting in code execution. By default, the jinja2 templating language is now marked as 'unsafe' and is not evaluated.",
  "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" : "2.3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.6.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.2.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.3.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-7481"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/fd30f5328986f9e1da434474481f32bf918a600c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/f0e348f5eeb70c1fb3127d90891da43b5c0a9d29"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/ed56f51f185a1ffd7ea57130d260098686fcc7c2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/a1886911fcf4b691130cfc70dfc5daa5e07c46a3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20170801122609/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98492"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00023.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-41.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2017-7481"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2524"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1599"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1499"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1476"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1334"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1244"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:59:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}