CVE-2015-6240: Ansible Ansible Sandbox Escape Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wwwh-47wp-m522
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-59
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-6240 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) ansible sandbox escape vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible sandbox escape via symlink attack. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.9.2.

CVE-2015-6240 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-6240
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wwwh-47wp-m522
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2015-6240

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: 1.9.2 
pip install ansible>=1.9.2
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-2015-6240, 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 1.9.2), 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-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource. 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 chroot, jail, and zone connection plugins in ansible before 1.9.2 allow local users to escape a restricted environment via a symlink attack.

CVE-2015-6240 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.9.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 1.9.2
1.9.2

References

NVD — CVE-2015-6240 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-6240
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/952166f48eb0f5797b75b160fd156bbe1e8fc647
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/ca2f2c4ebd7b5e097eab0a710f79c1f63badf95b
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243468
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2017-3.yaml
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/09/msg00016.html
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/08/17/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-6240?
CVE-2015-6240 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible Sandbox Escape via Symlink Attack under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.9.2 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2015-6240?
Upgrading to 1.9.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 1.9.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.9.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-6240?
CVE-2015-6240 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-6240?
CVE-2015-6240 is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2015-6240?
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-wwwh-47wp-m522",
  "modified" : "2024-08-30T22:01:30Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:54:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-6240" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible Sandbox Escape via Symlink Attack",
  "details" : "The chroot, jail, and zone connection plugins in ansible before 1.9.2 allow local users to escape a restricted environment via a symlink attack.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/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" : "1.9.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-6240"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/952166f48eb0f5797b75b160fd156bbe1e8fc647"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/ca2f2c4ebd7b5e097eab0a710f79c1f63badf95b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243468"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2017-3.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/09/msg00016.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/08/17/10"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-02T22:06:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-06-07T20:29:00Z"
  }
}