CVE-2020-1746: Ansible Exposure Of Sensitive Information To Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j2h6-73x8-22c4
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CVSS 5.0
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-1746 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.0) exposure of sensitive information to vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor in ansible. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.8.11, 2.9.7, 2.7.17.

CVE-2020-1746 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-1746
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j2h6-73x8-22c4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.0
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
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:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-1746

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: 2.8.11 
pip install ansible>=2.8.11
ansible fixed: 2.9.7 
pip install ansible>=2.9.7
ansible fixed: 2.7.17 
pip install ansible>=2.7.17
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-2020-1746, 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 2.8.11), 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. 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

A flaw was found in the Ansible Engine affecting Ansible Engine versions 2.7.x before 2.7.17 and 2.8.x before 2.8.11 and 2.9.x before 2.9.7 as well as Ansible Tower before and including versions 3.4.5 and 3.5.5 and 3.6.3 when the ldap_attr and ldap_entry community modules are used. The issue discloses the LDAP bind password to stdout or a log file if a playbook task is written using the `bind_pw` in the parameters field. The highest threat from this vulnerability is data confidentiality.

CVE-2020-1746 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.8.112.9.72.7.17
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.8.0a1
< 2.8.11
2.8.11
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.9.0a1
< 2.9.7
2.9.7
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.7.0a1
< 2.7.17
2.7.17

References

NVD — CVE-2020-1746 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1746
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/67866
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/d41e38435b1a9e300d8011ac28f16a5add2db119
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/e6199d768c1c18a4e750ec78d4ded088629baa3f
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1746
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/edd1e1723cc937ec9251adf38c1199a00b0bf6d4
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j2h6-73x8-22c4
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-13.yaml
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4950

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-1746?
CVE-2020-1746 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in ansible under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.8.11, 2.9.7, 2.7.17 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2020-1746?
Upgrading to 2.8.11, 2.9.7, 2.7.17 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.8.11, 2.9.7, 2.7.17. Upgrade your dependency to 2.8.11, 2.9.7, 2.7.17 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-1746?
CVE-2020-1746 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-1746?
CVE-2020-1746 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2020-1746?
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-j2h6-73x8-22c4",
  "modified" : "2024-09-11T16:56:33Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-20T16:43:53Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-1746" ],
  "summary" : "Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in ansible",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in the Ansible Engine affecting Ansible Engine versions 2.7.x before 2.7.17 and 2.8.x before 2.8.11 and 2.9.x before 2.9.7 as well as Ansible Tower before and including versions 3.4.5 and 3.5.5 and 3.6.3 when the ldap_attr and ldap_entry community modules are used. The issue discloses the LDAP bind password to stdout or a log file if a playbook task is written using the `bind_pw` in the parameters field. The highest threat from this vulnerability is data confidentiality.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.8.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.11"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.9.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.7.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.17"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1746"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/67866"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/d41e38435b1a9e300d8011ac28f16a5add2db119"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/e6199d768c1c18a4e750ec78d4ded088629baa3f"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/edd1e1723cc937ec9251adf38c1199a00b0bf6d4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2020-1746"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j2h6-73x8-22c4"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2020-13.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4950"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-02T22:47:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-05-12T18:15:00Z"
  }
}