CVE-2020-1739: Exposure of Sensitive Information in Ansible
Summary
CVE-2020-1739: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Ansible. Affects ansible across 3 version ranges.
< 2.7.17
>= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.11
>= 2.9.0a1, < 2.9.7
Fixed in 2.7.17, 2.8.11 or 2.9.7, depending on the release line you run. How to fix ↓
Also tracked for
- ansible · Alpine:v3.10
The same CVE-2020-1739 is tracked separately for each ecosystem and vendor. Its fix information is the same; the package and affected versions differ.
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Background
Ansible is an open-source automation tool that allows users to automate tasks such as configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration. It is widely used in the IT industry for its simplicity and flexibility. However, Ansible versions 2.7.16 and prior, 2.8.8 and prior, and 2.9.5 and prior are vulnerable to an exposure of sensitive information issue.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability arises when a password is set with the argument "password" of the svn module in Ansible. This password is used on the svn command line, which can be accessed by other users within the same node. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by reading the cmdline file from the specific PID on the procfs. The impact of this vulnerability is the potential exposure of sensitive information, including passwords, to unauthorized actors.
How To Fix
Latest published version: 14.5.0 as of 22 Oct 2026
pip install --upgrade "ansible==14.5.0"Upgrading to it may include breaking changes; the versions below are the minimum fixed release for this vulnerability.
If you can't move to the latest
The minimum fixed version depends on the release line you run.
-
< 2.7.172.7.17pip install --upgrade "ansible==2.7.17" -
>= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.112.8.11pip install --upgrade "ansible==2.8.11" -
>= 2.9.0a1, < 2.9.72.9.7pip install --upgrade "ansible==2.9.7"
Tip — Not sure which release line you're on? Vulert can find the fix for the version you are using. Scan free →
Workaround
There is no specific workaround mentioned for this vulnerability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ansible versions 2.7.16 and prior, 2.8.8 and prior, and 2.9.5 and prior are vulnerable to an exposure of sensitive information issue. Users should upgrade to the fixed versions of Ansible to mitigate this vulnerability. For further support on vulnerability remediation, please contact DevNack.com.
See every vulnerability recorded for ansible →
FAQ
Ansible is an open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration.
Ansible versions 2.7.16 and prior, 2.8.8 and prior, and 2.9.5 and prior are affected.
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by reading the cmdline file from the specific PID on the procfs, which contains the password used in the svn module.
The impact of this vulnerability is the potential exposure of sensitive information, including passwords, to unauthorized actors.
To fix this vulnerability, upgrade to the fixed versions of Ansible: 2.9.7 or later, 2.8.9 or later, or 2.7.17 or later.
References
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