CVE-2014-4658 in Ansible
Summary
by MITRE
The vault subsystem in Ansible before 1.5.5 does not set the umask before creation or modification of a vault file, which allows local users to obtain sensitive key information by reading a file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-4658 resides within Ansible's vault subsystem, a critical component designed to encrypt sensitive data such as passwords, tokens, and other confidential information used in automation workflows. This flaw affects Ansible versions prior to 1.5.5 and represents a significant security weakness that undermines the confidentiality guarantees intended by the vault functionality. The vulnerability specifically targets the file system permissions handling during vault file operations, creating an exploitable condition that can compromise sensitive information stored within these encrypted containers.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper umask configuration within the vault subsystem's file creation and modification processes. When Ansible creates or modifies vault files, it fails to establish an appropriate umask value before performing these operations. A umask is a system parameter that determines the default permissions for newly created files and directories, typically masking certain permission bits to ensure files are created with restrictive access controls. Without setting an appropriate umask, vault files are created with default system permissions that may grant unintended read access to other users on the system, effectively undermining the encryption security model.
This flaw creates a privilege escalation scenario where local users can exploit the weak file permissions to read vault files that should remain protected. The vulnerability operates at the file system level rather than the encryption level, meaning that even though the content within vault files is encrypted, the files themselves may be readable by unauthorized users. Attackers can leverage this condition to gain access to sensitive key information stored in vault files, potentially compromising entire automation environments where Ansible is used for configuration management and deployment tasks. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as these vault files often contain credentials and secrets necessary for system access and operational functionality.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-4658 is substantial, particularly in enterprise environments where Ansible is widely deployed for infrastructure automation. Organizations using older Ansible versions may unknowingly expose sensitive configuration data, deployment credentials, and system access tokens through improperly secured vault files. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses incorrect permissions for security-critical resources, and represents a classic example of inadequate privilege separation in file system operations. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers "Unsecured Credentials" through unauthorized access to stored credentials, and T1005, which involves data from local system storage.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve upgrading to Ansible version 1.5.5 or later, where the vault subsystem properly implements umask handling during file operations. System administrators should also conduct comprehensive audits of existing vault files to identify any potential exposure that may have occurred before the patch was applied. Additional protective measures include implementing proper file system access controls, monitoring for unauthorized file access attempts, and ensuring that all system users have appropriate privilege levels. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools to detect similar permission-related vulnerabilities across their automation infrastructure. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper file system permission handling in security-sensitive applications, particularly those dealing with credential storage and management.