Sensitive information in log files in Red Hat ansible
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 fixed, 11 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-532.
Summary
Execution of Ansible playbooks on Windows platforms with PowerShell ScriptBlock logging and Module logging enabled can allow for 'become' passwords to appear in EventLogs in plaintext. A local user with administrator privileges on the machine can view these logs and discover the plaintext password. Ansible Engine 2.8 and older are believed to be vulnerable.
Why it matters now
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | ansible | 2.8 and older | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| — | ansible (PyPI) | 2.7.0a1 to before 2.7.3 | 2.7.3 | Patch available | GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r |
| — | ansible (PyPI) | before 2.5.12 | 2.5.12 | Patch available | GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r |
| — | ansible (PyPI) | 2.6.0a1 to before 2.6.9 | 2.6.9 | Patch available | GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r |
- ansible VendorRed Hat Affected 2.8 and older Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- ansible (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.7.0a1 to before 2.7.3 Fixed in 2.7.3 Patch available GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r
- ansible (PyPI) Vendor— Affected before 2.5.12 Fixed in 2.5.12 Patch available GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r
- ansible (PyPI) Vendor— Affected 2.6.0a1 to before 2.6.9 Fixed in 2.6.9 Patch available GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.5.13; 2.6.0 to before 2.6.10; 2.7.0 to before 2.7.4; 2.7.5 – 2.8 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.5.13; 2.6.0 to before 2.6.10; 2.7.0 to before 2.7.4; 2.7.5 – 2.8 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r ansible (PyPI) Fixed in 2.7.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r ansible (PyPI) Fixed in 2.5.12 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r ansible (PyPI) Fixed in 2.6.9 Advisory →
Red Hat 4 advisories
- RHSA-2018:3771 Released 2018-12-04 · Red Hat rating Moderateansible security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.6 for RHEL 7 Server ansible-2.6.10-1.el7ae
- RHSA-2018:3772 Released 2018-12-04 · Red Hat rating Moderateansible security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Ansible Engine 2 for RHEL 7 ansible-2.7.4-1.el7ae
- RHSA-2018:3773 Released 2018-12-04 · Red Hat rating Moderateansible security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.7 for RHEL 7 Server ansible-2.7.4-1.el7ae
Show 1 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2018:3770 Released 2018-12-04 · Red Hat rating Moderateansible security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.5 for RHEL 7 Server ansible-2.5.13-1.el7ae, ansible-doc-2.5.13-1.el7ae
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ceph Storage 2 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Ceph Storage 3 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.4 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.5 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.6 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.7 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 10 (Newton) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 12 (Pike) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 13 (Queens) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenStack Platform 14 (Rocky) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Storage 3 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2 for RHEL 7 | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3772 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.5 for RHEL 7 Server | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3770 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.6 for RHEL 7 Server | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3771 |
| Red Hat Ansible Engine 2.7 for RHEL 7 Server | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3773 |
Not affected: 7 products
- CloudForms Management Engine 5
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.2
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.3
- Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise 3.0
- Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise 3.1
- Red Hat Satellite 6
- Red Hat Virtualization 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2018-16859
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r
References
Advisory 9
Other 7
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/0d746b4198abf84290a093b83cf02b4203d73d9f
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/2f8d3fcf41107efafc14d51ab6e14531ca8f8c87
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/4d748d34f9392aa469da00a85c8e2d5fe6cec52b
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible
- https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/v2.5.13/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.5.rst
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/ansible/PYSEC-2018-60.yaml
- https://web.archive.org/web/20200227102121/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106004
More Red Hat Ansible Engine vulnerabilities
- TI-2018-05593 transport.py in the SSH server implementation of Paramiko before 1.17.6, 1.18.x before… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2017-05127 Improper input validation in [UNKNOWN] ansible CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2021-03523 Information disclosure in ansible CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2019-11051 Sensitive information in log files in Red Hat Ansible CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2018-07689 Untrusted search path in [UNKNOWN] ansible CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2018-07688 Untrusted search path in [UNKNOWN] ansible CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.8
Sources
- CVE-2018-16859 · CVE Program
- CVE-2018-16859 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2018-16859 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences