CVE-2021-20178: Ansible Insertion Of Sensitive Information Into Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wv5p-gmmv-wh9v
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-532
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-20178 is a HIGH (CVSS 5.5) insertion of sensitive information into vulnerability (CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves insertion of sensitive information into log file in ansible. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.18.

CVE-2021-20178 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-20178
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wv5p-gmmv-wh9v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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:N/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 None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-20178

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: 2.9.18 
pip install ansible>=2.9.18
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-2021-20178, 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 2.9.18), 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-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File, where the product writes sensitive information to a log file. 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 ansible module where credentials are disclosed in the console log by default and not protected by the security feature when using the bitbucket_pipeline_variable module. This flaw allows an attacker to steal bitbucket_pipeline credentials. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.

CVE-2021-20178 Affected Ansible Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9.18
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.9.18
2.9.18

References

NVD — CVE-2021-20178 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20178
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/pull/1635
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/commit/1d0c5e2ba47724c31a18d7b08b9daf13df8829dc
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1914774
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wv5p-gmmv-wh9v
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.18/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.18/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes%2C
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.18/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes,
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-106.yaml
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00018.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FUQ2QKAQA5OW2TY3ACZZMFIAJ2EQTG37
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HIU7QZUV73U6ZQ65VJWSFBTCALVXLH55
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FUQ2QKAQA5OW2TY3ACZZMFIAJ2EQTG37
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HIU7QZUV73U6ZQ65VJWSFBTCALVXLH55

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-20178?
CVE-2021-20178 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in ansible under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9.18 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2021-20178?
Upgrading to 2.9.18 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.9.18. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9.18 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-20178?
CVE-2021-20178 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-20178?
CVE-2021-20178 is classified under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File (The product writes sensitive information to a log file.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-20178?
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-wv5p-gmmv-wh9v",
  "modified" : "2024-11-18T16:26:14Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-01T21:53:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-20178" ],
  "summary" : "Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in ansible",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in ansible module where credentials are disclosed in the console log by default and not protected by the security feature when using the bitbucket_pipeline_variable module. This flaw allows an attacker to steal bitbucket_pipeline credentials. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.18"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20178"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/pull/1635"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.general/commit/1d0c5e2ba47724c31a18d7b08b9daf13df8829dc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1914774"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wv5p-gmmv-wh9v"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.18/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.18/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes%2C"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.9.18/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.9.rst#security-fixes,"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-106.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00018.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FUQ2QKAQA5OW2TY3ACZZMFIAJ2EQTG37"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HIU7QZUV73U6ZQ65VJWSFBTCALVXLH55"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FUQ2QKAQA5OW2TY3ACZZMFIAJ2EQTG37"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HIU7QZUV73U6ZQ65VJWSFBTCALVXLH55"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-532" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-06-01T20:21:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-26T12:15:00Z"
  }
}