CVE-2019-14846 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Discover the CVE-2019-14846 vulnerability in Ansible Engine versions prior to ansible-engine 2.8.5, 2.7.13, and 2.6.19, impacting Red Hat's Ansible product. Learn about the impact, affected systems, exploitation mechanism, and mitigation steps.
This CVE-2019-14846 article provides insights into a vulnerability in Ansible Engine versions prior to ansible-engine 2.8.5, 2.7.13, and 2.6.19, affecting Red Hat's Ansible product.
Understanding CVE-2019-14846
This section delves into the details of the CVE-2019-14846 vulnerability affecting Ansible Engine versions.
What is CVE-2019-14846?
The logging behavior of Ansible Engine versions prior to ansible-engine 2.8.5, 2.7.13, and 2.6.19 involved logging at the DEBUG level, potentially exposing credentials if a plugin logged credentials at that level. However, this issue does not impact the functionality of Ansible modules.
The Impact of CVE-2019-14846
The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.0 base score of 7.3, indicating a high severity level with confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
Technical Details of CVE-2019-14846
This section provides technical details of the CVE-2019-14846 vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
The flaw in Ansible Engine versions allowed logging at the DEBUG level, risking credential exposure if a plugin logged credentials at that level.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Ansible
- Vendor: Red Hat
- Versions: All ansible_engine-2.x and ansible_engine-3.x up to ansible_engine-3.5
Exploitation Mechanism
- Attack Complexity: Low
- Attack Vector: Local
- Privileges Required: Low
- User Interaction: Required
- Scope: Unchanged
Mitigation and Prevention
Learn how to mitigate and prevent the CVE-2019-14846 vulnerability.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Update Ansible Engine to versions beyond ansible-engine 2.8.5, 2.7.13, and 2.6.19 to prevent credential exposure.
- Monitor and restrict DEBUG-level logging in plugins to avoid sensitive data leakage.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly review and update logging configurations to maintain secure practices.
- Educate developers on secure logging practices to prevent inadvertent credential exposure.
Patching and Updates
- Apply security patches provided by Red Hat to address the vulnerability effectively.