CVE-2025-2877 in Ansible Automation Platform
Summary
by MITRE • 03/28/2025
A flaw was found in the Ansible Automation Platform's Event-Driven Ansible. In configurations where verbosity is set to "debug", inventory passwords are exposed in plain text when starting a rulebook activation. This issue exists for any "debug" action in a rulebook and also affects Event Streams.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-2877 represents a critical security flaw within the Ansible Automation Platform's Event-Driven Ansible functionality. This issue manifests when system administrators configure verbosity levels to "debug" mode, creating an unintended exposure of sensitive authentication credentials. The flaw specifically impacts the handling of inventory passwords during rulebook activation processes, where these credentials are inadvertently logged in plaintext format. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it affects not only standard rulebook executions but also extends to Event Streams functionality, broadening the potential attack surface for malicious actors who might exploit this weakness.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-200, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor. The flaw occurs at the logging and verbosity configuration level where the system fails to properly sanitize or redact authentication credentials even when verbose debugging is enabled. When a rulebook activation begins with debug verbosity, the platform's logging mechanism does not differentiate between regular operational information and sensitive credential data, resulting in plaintext passwords being written to log files or console outputs. This represents a fundamental breakdown in information flow control and access restriction mechanisms within the automation platform's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple credential exposure, as it creates multiple attack vectors for potential exploitation. An attacker who gains access to system logs or console outputs could immediately extract inventory passwords, potentially enabling them to compromise entire infrastructure environments. The vulnerability affects any debug action within rulebooks, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where debugging is frequently enabled for troubleshooting purposes. The inclusion of Event Streams in the affected scope means that real-time event processing workflows also become vulnerable, potentially exposing credentials during automated response scenarios. This issue directly violates security principles outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, particularly in the areas of identification and protection of sensitive data.
Organizations utilizing the Ansible Automation Platform should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves disabling debug verbosity in production environments or implementing strict log sanitization protocols that automatically redact credential information from debug outputs. System administrators should also consider implementing automated log monitoring solutions that can detect and alert on plaintext credential exposure. The use of role-based access controls and principle of least privilege should be enforced to limit who can enable debug mode and access sensitive logs. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security reviews of all automation workflows to identify and remediate similar credential exposure issues. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which focuses on credentials in files, and represents a clear violation of the security best practices outlined in ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management. The incident underscores the critical importance of proper credential handling and logging practices in automated security environments.