CVE-2016-8628: Ansible Ansible Fails To Properly Sanitize Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jg4f-jqm5-4mgq
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-8628 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) ansible fails to properly sanitize vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the ansible controller. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.2.0.0.

CVE-2016-8628 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-8628
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jg4f-jqm5-4mgq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2016-8628

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: 2.2.0.0 
pip install ansible>=2.2.0.0
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-2016-8628, 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 2.2.0.0), 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-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component. 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 version 2.2.0 fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the Ansible controller. An attacker with the ability to create special variables on the controller could execute arbitrary commands on Ansible clients as the user Ansible runs as.

CVE-2016-8628 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.2.0.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.2.0.0
2.2.0.0

References

NVD — CVE-2016-8628 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8628
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/41903
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/35938b907dfcd1106ca40b794f0db446bdb8cf09
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:27... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2778
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-8628
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jg4f-jqm5-4mgq
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-38.yaml
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227214455/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94109

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-8628?
CVE-2016-8628 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the Ansible controller under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.2.0.0 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2016-8628?
Upgrading to 2.2.0.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.2.0.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.2.0.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-8628?
CVE-2016-8628 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-8628?
CVE-2016-8628 is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2016-8628?
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-jg4f-jqm5-4mgq",
  "modified" : "2024-09-04T19:00:55Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-10T17:23:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-8628" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the Ansible controller",
  "details" : "Ansible before version 2.2.0 fails to properly sanitize fact variables sent from the Ansible controller. An attacker with the ability to create special variables on the controller could execute arbitrary commands on Ansible clients as the user Ansible runs as.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.0.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8628"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/41903"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/35938b907dfcd1106ca40b794f0db446bdb8cf09"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:2778"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-8628"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jg4f-jqm5-4mgq"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-38.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227214455/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94109"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:43:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}