Improper input validation in [UNKNOWN] ansible
Priority MEDIUM 50CWE-20Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 9 fixed, 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat.
Summary
Ansible before versions 2.3.1.0 and 2.4.0.0 fails to properly mark lookup-plugin results as unsafe. If an attacker could control the results of lookup() calls, they could inject Unicode strings to be parsed by the jinja2 templating system, resulting in code execution. By default, the jinja2 templating language is now marked as 'unsafe' and is not evaluated.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.04743 91st percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial ansible (PyPI): 2.3.1.0, 2.1.6.0, 2.2.3.0Red Hat: 6 advisoriesRed Hat: 9 fixed, 1 without a fix
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [UNKNOWN] | ansible | ansible 2.3.1.0; ansible 2.4.0.0 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| — | ansible (PyPI) | 2.3.0.0 to before 2.3.1.0 | 2.3.1.0 | Patch available | GHSA-w578-j992-554x |
| — | ansible (PyPI) | before 2.1.6.0 | 2.1.6.0 | Patch available | GHSA-w578-j992-554x |
| — | ansible (PyPI) | 2.2.0.0 to before 2.2.3.0 | 2.2.3.0 | Patch available | GHSA-w578-j992-554x |
- ansible Vendor[UNKNOWN] Affected ansible 2.3.1.0; ansible 2.4.0.0 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- ansible (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.3.0.0 to before 2.3.1.0 Fixed in 2.3.1.0 Patch available GHSA-w578-j992-554x
- ansible (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.1.6.0 Fixed in 2.1.6.0 Patch available GHSA-w578-j992-554x
- ansible (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.2.0.0 to before 2.2.3.0 Fixed in 2.2.3.0 Patch available GHSA-w578-j992-554x
CPE configurations NVD · 15
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.3 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.4 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.5 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openstack:10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openstack:11:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:storage_console:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.1 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization_manager:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.1 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:gluster_storage:3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.2 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Running on | Red Hat |
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.3 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.4 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.5 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openstack:10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openstack:11:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:storage_console:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.1 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization_manager:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.1 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:gluster_storage:3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.2 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Running on ·Red Hat
Show 5 more CPE
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.3.1.0; 2.3.2.0 to before 2.4.0.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.3.1.0; 2.3.2.0 to before 2.4.0.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-w578-j992-554x ansible (PyPI) Fixed in 2.3.1.0 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-w578-j992-554x ansible (PyPI) Fixed in 2.1.6.0 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-w578-j992-554x ansible (PyPI) Fixed in 2.2.3.0 Advisory →
Red Hat 6 advisories
- RHSA-2017:2524 Released 2017-08-22 · Red Hat rating Moderateansible security, bug fix, and enhancement update
- Red Hat Virtualization Manager 4.1 ansible-2.3.1.0-3.el7, ansible-doc-2.3.1.0-3.el7
- RHSA-2017:1599 Released 2017-06-28 · Red Hat rating Importantansible security update
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 10.0 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7
- RHSA-2017:1499 Released 2017-06-19 · Red Hat rating Importantansible security update
- Red Hat Storage Console Installer 2 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7
Show 3 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2017:1476 Released 2017-06-15 · Red Hat rating Importantansible security update
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 11.0 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7
- RHSA-2017:1334 Released 2017-05-25 · Red Hat rating Importantansible security update
- Red Hat Gluster Storage Server 3.2 on RHEL-7 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7
- RHSA-2017:1244 Released 2017-05-17 · Red Hat rating Importantansible and openshift-ansible security and bug fix update
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.2 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7, atomic-openshift-utils-3.2.56-1.git.0.b844ab7.el7, openshift-ansible-3.2.56-1.git.0.b844ab7.el7 +5
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.3 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7, atomic-openshift-utils-3.3.82-1.git.0.af0c922.el7, openshift-ansible-3.3.82-1.git.0.af0c922.el7 +6
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.4 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7, atomic-openshift-utils-3.4.89-1.git.0.ac29ce8.el7, openshift-ansible-3.4.89-1.git.0.ac29ce8.el7 +6
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.5 ansible-2.2.3.0-1.el7, atomic-openshift-utils-3.5.71-1.git.0.128c2db.el7, openshift-ansible-3.5.71-1.git.0.128c2db.el7 +6
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Quickstart Cloud Installer 1 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Gluster Storage Server 3.2 on RHEL-7 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1334 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.2 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1244 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.3 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1244 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1244 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.5 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1244 |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 10.0 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1599 |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 11.0 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1476 |
| Red Hat Storage Console Installer 2 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:1499 |
| Red Hat Virtualization Manager 4.1 | Fixed | RHSA-2017:2524 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 12 (Pike)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2017-7481
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-w578-j992-554x
References
Patch 2
Advisory 9
Other 7
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/fd30f5328986f9e1da434474481f32bf918a600c
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/f0e348f5eeb70c1fb3127d90891da43b5c0a9d29
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/a1886911fcf4b691130cfc70dfc5daa5e07c46a3
- https://web.archive.org/web/20170801122609/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98492
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4072-1
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-41.yaml
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible
Sources
- CVE-2017-7481 · CVE Program
- CVE-2017-7481 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-w578-j992-554x · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2017-7481 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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