CVE-2021-3583: Ansible Improper Input Validation And Command Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm
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CVSS 7.1
CWE-94 CWE-20 CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-3583 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) improper input validation and command vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Ansible libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation and command injection in ansible. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.23rc1, 2.10.11rc1, 2.11.2rc1.

CVE-2021-3583 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-3583
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Ansible
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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:H/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 High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-3583

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: 2.9.23rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.9.23rc1
ansible fixed: 2.10.11rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.10.11rc1
ansible fixed: 2.11.2rc1 
pip install ansible>=2.11.2rc1
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-2021-3583, 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 2.9.23rc1), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. 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, where a user's controller is vulnerable to template injection. This issue can occur through facts used in the template if the user is trying to put templates in multi-line YAML strings and the facts being handled do not routinely include special template characters. This flaw allows attackers to perform command injection, which discloses sensitive information. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality and integrity.

CVE-2021-3583 Affected Ansible Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9.23rc12.10.11rc12.11.2rc1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
< 2.9.23rc1
2.9.23rc1
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.10.0a1
< 2.10.11rc1
2.10.11rc1
ansible
pypi/ansible
PyPI
≥ 2.11.0a1
< 2.11.2rc1
2.11.2rc1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-3583 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3583
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/74960
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/03aff644cc1c00e1f7551195c68fbd0d13a39e6e
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/8aa850e3573e48c9a2f12aef84e8a3a6f5ba4847
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/8b17e5b9229ffaecfe10a4881bc3f87dd2c184e1
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1968412
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Ansible Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-358.yaml
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00018.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3583?
CVE-2021-3583 is a security vulnerability in Ansible involving Improper Input Validation and Command Injection in Ansible under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Ansible versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9.23rc1, 2.10.11rc1, 2.11.2rc1 across affected packages: ansible.
What version fixes CVE-2021-3583?
Upgrading to 2.9.23rc1, 2.10.11rc1, 2.11.2rc1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ansible affected?
Yes, ansible is affected in releases prior to 2.9.23rc1, 2.10.11rc1, 2.11.2rc1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9.23rc1, 2.10.11rc1, 2.11.2rc1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-3583?
CVE-2021-3583 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-3583?
CVE-2021-3583 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2021-3583?
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-2pfh-q76x-gwvm",
  "modified" : "2024-09-06T17:47:39Z",
  "published" : "2021-09-23T23:16:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-3583" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation and Command Injection in Ansible",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in Ansible, where a user's controller is vulnerable to template injection. This issue can occur through facts used in the template if the user is trying to put templates in multi-line YAML strings and the facts being handled do not routinely include special template characters. This flaw allows attackers to perform command injection, which discloses sensitive information. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality and integrity.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.23rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.10.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.10.11rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "ansible"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.11.0a1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.11.2rc1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3583"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/74960"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/03aff644cc1c00e1f7551195c68fbd0d13a39e6e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/8aa850e3573e48c9a2f12aef84e8a3a6f5ba4847"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/8b17e5b9229ffaecfe10a4881bc3f87dd2c184e1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1968412"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-2pfh-q76x-gwvm"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ansible/ansible"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2021-358.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/12/msg00018.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-77", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-09-23T17:11:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-09-22T12:15:00Z"
  }
}