CVE-2013-4260: Ansible Ansible Arbitrary File Overwrite Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pcqv-c46v-2p4v
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CVSS 6.2
CWE-281
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-4260 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.2) ansible arbitrary file overwrite vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-281: Improper Preservation of Permissions) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible arbitrary file overwrite vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.2.3.

CVE-2013-4260 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-4260
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pcqv-c46v-2p4v
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.2
CWE Classification CWE-281: Improper Preservation of Permissions
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.2

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2013-4260

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: 1.2.3 
pip install ansible>=1.2.3
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-2013-4260, 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 1.2.3), 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-281: Improper Preservation of Permissions, where the product does not preserve permissions or incorrectly preserves permissions when copying, restoring, or sharing objects, which can cause them to have less restrictive permissions than intended. 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

`lib/ansible/playbook/__init__.py` in Ansible 1.2.x before 1.2.3, when playbook does not run due to an error, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a retry file with a predictable name in `/var/tmp/ansible/`.

CVE-2013-4260 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 1.2
< 1.2.3
1.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2013-4260 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4260
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/d5948d59fc863fcec6efa62fa2791928ffc5a6d1
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=998227
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/868... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/86898
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2013-2.yaml
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ansible-project/UVDYW0HGcNg
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21topic/ansible-project/UVDYW0HGcNg
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://www.ansible.com/security

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-4260?
CVE-2013-4260 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible Arbitrary File Overwrite Vulnerability under CWE-281: Improper Preservation of Permissions.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.2.3 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2013-4260?
Upgrading to 1.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 1.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 1.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2013-4260?
CVE-2013-4260 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.2 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-4260?
CVE-2013-4260 is classified under CWE-281: Improper Preservation of Permissions (The product does not preserve permissions or incorrectly preserves permissions when copying, restoring, or sharing objects, which can cause them to have less restrictive permissions than intended.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2013-4260?
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-pcqv-c46v-2p4v",
  "modified" : "2024-09-04T19:50:19Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T02:03:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-4260" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible Arbitrary File Overwrite Vulnerability",
  "details" : "`lib/ansible/playbook/__init__.py` in Ansible 1.2.x before 1.2.3, when playbook does not run due to an error, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on a retry file with a predictable name in `/var/tmp/ansible/`.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.2"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4260"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/d5948d59fc863fcec6efa62fa2791928ffc5a6d1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=998227"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/86898"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2013-2.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ansible-project/UVDYW0HGcNg"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21topic/ansible-project/UVDYW0HGcNg"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ansible.com/security"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-281" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-28T23:28:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2013-09-16T19:14:00Z"
  }
}