CVE-2021-20228: Ansible Ansible Exposes Sensitive Information Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5rrg-rr89-x9mv
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-522 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-20228 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) ansible exposes sensitive information vulnerability (CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves ansible exposes sensitive information. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, 2.8.19rc1.

CVE-2021-20228 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-20228
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5rrg-rr89-x9mv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2021-20228

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: 2.10.6rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.10.6rc1
ansible fixed: 2.9.18rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.9.18rc1
ansible fixed: 2.8.19rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.8.19rc1
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-2021-20228, 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 2.10.6rc1), 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-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials, where the product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval. 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 prior to 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, and 2.8.19rc1, where sensitive info is not masked by default and is not protected by the `no_log` feature when using the sub-option feature of the basic.py module. This flaw allows an attacker to obtain sensitive information. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.

CVE-2021-20228 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.10.6rc12.9.18rc12.8.19rc1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.10.0a1
< 2.10.6rc1
2.10.6rc1
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.9.0a1
< 2.9.18rc1
2.9.18rc1
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.8.19rc1
2.8.19rc1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-20228 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20228
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73487
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73492
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73493
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73494
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/49ebd509df9de1c1fc1bcee00e79a835dd00662c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/e41d1f0a3fd6c466192e7e24accd3d1c6501111b
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/f8ff395d817c3eddc050f809919c15dfb5796120
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1925002
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-5rrg-rr89-x9mv
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-1.yaml
Ansible Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4950

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-20228?
CVE-2021-20228 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Ansible Exposes Sensitive Information under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials.
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, 2.8.19rc1 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2021-20228?
Upgrading to 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, 2.8.19rc1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, 2.8.19rc1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, 2.8.19rc1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-20228?
CVE-2021-20228 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-20228?
CVE-2021-20228 is classified under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials (The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-20228?
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-5rrg-rr89-x9mv",
  "modified" : "2024-09-09T21:15:29Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-25T19:22:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-20228" ],
  "summary" : "Ansible Exposes Sensitive Information",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in the Ansible Engine prior to 2.10.6rc1, 2.9.18rc1, and 2.8.19rc1, where sensitive info is not masked by default and is not protected by the `no_log` feature when using the sub-option feature of the basic.py module. This flaw allows an attacker to obtain sensitive information. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/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" : "2.10.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.10.6rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.9.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.18rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.19rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20228"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73487"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73492"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73493"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/73494"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/49ebd509df9de1c1fc1bcee00e79a835dd00662c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/e41d1f0a3fd6c466192e7e24accd3d1c6501111b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/f8ff395d817c3eddc050f809919c15dfb5796120"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1925002"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-5rrg-rr89-x9mv"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-1.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4950"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-522" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-05-25T19:22:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-04-29T16:15:00Z"
  }
}