CVE-2020-10691 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

An archive traversal flaw in Ansible versions 2.9.x prior to 2.9.7 allows attackers to overwrite system files during ansible-galaxy collection install.

Understanding CVE-2020-10691

This CVE involves a vulnerability in Ansible that could be exploited by attackers to manipulate files on the system.

What is CVE-2020-10691?

An archive traversal flaw in Ansible versions 2.9.x prior to 2.9.7 allows attackers to overwrite system files during ansible-galaxy collection install.

The Impact of CVE-2020-10691

CVSS Base Score: 5.2 (Medium)
Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality Impact: None
Integrity Impact: Low
Availability Impact: Low
Vector String: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L

Technical Details of CVE-2020-10691

This section provides detailed technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

An archive traversal flaw in Ansible versions 2.9.x prior to 2.9.7 allows attackers to overwrite system files during ansible-galaxy collection install.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Ansible
Vendor: Red Hat
Versions Affected: all ansible-engine versions 2.9.x prior to 2.9.7

Exploitation Mechanism

When extracting a collection .tar.gz file, the directory is created without sanitizing the filename, enabling attackers to overwrite any file within the system.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from this vulnerability by following these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Ansible to version 2.9.7 or later.
Avoid running ansible-galaxy collection install from untrusted sources.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor for Ansible security updates.
Implement file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Red Hat to fix the archive traversal flaw in Ansible.