CVE-2020-10744: Ansible Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vp9j-rghq-8jhh
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CVSS 5.0
CWE-668 CWE-362 CWE-377
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-10744 is a LOW (CVSS 5.0) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves exposure of resource to wrong sphere and insecure temporary file in ansible. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.10.0rc1, 2.9.12.

CVE-2020-10744 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-10744
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vp9j-rghq-8jhh
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.0
CWE Classification CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.0

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2020-10744

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: 2.10.0rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.10.0rc1
ansible fixed: 2.9.12 
pip install ansible>=2.9.12
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-2020-10744, 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 2.10.0rc1), 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-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the 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

An incomplete fix was found for the fix of the flaw CVE-2020-1733 ansible insecure temporary directory when running become_user from become directive. The provided fix is insufficient to prevent the race condition on systems using ACLs and FUSE filesystems. Ansible Engine 2.7.18, 2.8.12, and 2.9.9 as well as previous versions are affected and Ansible Tower 3.4.5, 3.5.6 and 3.6.4 as well as previous versions are affected.

CVE-2020-10744 Affected Ansible Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.10.0rc12.9.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.10.0a1
< 2.10.0rc1
2.10.0rc1
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.9.12
2.9.12

References

NVD — CVE-2020-10744 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10744
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/69782
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/77d0effcc5b2da1ef23e4ba32986a9759c27c10d
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/84afa8e90cd168ff13208c8eae3e533ce7e21e1f
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/ffd3757fc35468a97791e452e7f2d14c3e3fcb80
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-10744
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vp9j-rghq-8jhh
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-208.yaml

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-10744?
CVE-2020-10744 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere and Insecure Temporary File in Ansible under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.10.0rc1, 2.9.12 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2020-10744?
Upgrading to 2.10.0rc1, 2.9.12 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.10.0rc1, 2.9.12. Upgrade your dependency to 2.10.0rc1, 2.9.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-10744?
CVE-2020-10744 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-10744?
CVE-2020-10744 is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (The product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-10744?
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-vp9j-rghq-8jhh",
  "modified" : "2024-11-18T16:26:11Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T21:59:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-10744" ],
  "summary" : "Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere and Insecure Temporary File in Ansible",
  "details" : "An incomplete fix was found for the fix of the flaw CVE-2020-1733 ansible insecure temporary directory when running become_user from become directive. The provided fix is insufficient to prevent the race condition on systems using ACLs and FUSE filesystems. Ansible Engine 2.7.18, 2.8.12, and 2.9.9 as well as previous versions are affected and Ansible Tower 3.4.5, 3.5.6 and 3.6.4 as well as previous versions are affected.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.10.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.10.0rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10744"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/69782"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/77d0effcc5b2da1ef23e4ba32986a9759c27c10d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/84afa8e90cd168ff13208c8eae3e533ce7e21e1f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/ffd3757fc35468a97791e452e7f2d14c3e3fcb80"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-10744"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-vp9j-rghq-8jhh"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-208.yaml"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-362", "CWE-377", "CWE-668" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-05T13:49:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-05-15T14:15:00Z"
  }
}