CVE-2019-10206 in ansible-playbook-k
Summary
by MITRE
ansible-playbook -k and ansible cli tools, all versions 2.8.x before 2.8.4, all 2.7.x before 2.7.13 and all 2.6.x before 2.6.19, prompt passwords by expanding them from templates as they could contain special characters. Passwords should be wrapped to prevent templates trigger and exposing them.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-10206 represents a critical security flaw in the ansible command line tools that affects multiple major versions of the Ansible automation platform. This issue specifically impacts the ansible-playbook command when used with the -k flag and other ansible client tools, creating a dangerous scenario where user-supplied passwords can be inadvertently processed through template expansion mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of password inputs during command execution, where passwords containing special characters are subject to template processing rather than being treated as literal values. This behavior creates an exploitable condition that can lead to information disclosure and potential credential compromise.
The technical flaw manifests when ansible processes command line arguments containing passwords that include template syntax characters such as curly braces, dollar signs, or other special characters used in Jinja2 templating. The system attempts to expand these password strings as templates, which can result in unintended variable substitution or command injection. This process violates fundamental security principles by allowing user input to trigger template expansion mechanisms that were designed for configuration data, not for sensitive credential information. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the command line interface level where users expect their passwords to be treated as opaque strings without any interpretation or expansion.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Ansible for automation and configuration management. Attackers who can influence command line inputs or manipulate the environment where ansible commands are executed may be able to extract sensitive information from password fields that contain template syntax. The exposure occurs because the password values are not properly sanitized or wrapped to prevent template processing, potentially allowing attackers to access unintended system information or even execute arbitrary commands through crafted password inputs. This risk is amplified in environments where ansible is used for privileged operations or where command line arguments are logged or exposed in process listings.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2019-10206 involves upgrading to the patched versions of Ansible where the password handling has been corrected to prevent template expansion on password inputs. Organizations should immediately deploy Ansible versions 2.8.4, 2.7.13, and 2.6.19 or later, which contain the necessary fixes to properly wrap password values and prevent unintended template processing. Additionally, system administrators should implement strict input validation for all command line parameters and consider using alternative authentication methods such as SSH keys or vault encryption rather than command line passwords. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-174, which addresses the weakness of insufficient input sanitization, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1555.003 for credential access through password dumping, as the improper handling of credentials creates potential exposure pathways that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access to systems and data.