CVE-2014-4657: Ansible Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qg47-5px9-32g7
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-4657 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible remote code execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.4.

CVE-2014-4657 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-4657
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qg47-5px9-32g7
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-2014-4657

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: 1.5.4 
pip install ansible>=1.5.4
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-2014-4657, 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 1.5.4), 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

The `safe_eval` function in Ansible before 1.5.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted instructions.

CVE-2014-4657 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 1.5.4
1.5.4

References

NVD — CVE-2014-4657 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-4657
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/998793fd0ab55705d57527a38cee5e83f535974c
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/release1.5.5/CHANGELOG.md
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-199.yaml
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20210120133852/https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/68232

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-4657?
CVE-2014-4657 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible Remote Code Execution under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.4 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2014-4657?
Upgrading to 1.5.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 1.5.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-4657?
CVE-2014-4657 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-2014-4657?
CVE-2014-4657 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-2014-4657?
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-qg47-5px9-32g7",
  "modified" : "2024-09-06T20:17:25Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T19:57:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-4657" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible Remote Code Execution",
  "details" : "The `safe_eval` function in Ansible before 1.5.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted instructions.",
  "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" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-4657"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/998793fd0ab55705d57527a38cee5e83f535974c"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/release1.5.5/CHANGELOG.md"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-199.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20210120133852/https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/68232"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-07T20:09:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-02-20T15:15:00Z"
  }
}