CVE-2014-4658

Key disclosure via inherited umask on vault files

Published Feb 20, 2020 · Updated Aug 6, 2024

Information disclosure in Ansible Vault before 1.5.5 allows local users to read sensitive key information from vault files. The create_file and edit_file paths in lib/ansible/utils/vault.py create plaintext editor or temporary files before enforcing a restrictive umask. Exploitation requires local account access and a permissive process umask, exposing vault plaintext while a file is created or edited.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.42%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Information disclosure in Ansible Vault before 1.5.5 allows local users to read sensitive key information from vault files. The create_file and edit_file paths in lib/ansible/utils/vault.py create plaintext editor or temporary files before enforcing a restrictive umask. Exploitation requires local account access and a permissive process umask, exposing vault plaintext while a file is created or edited.

The record

CVE
CVE-2014-4658
Published
Feb 20, 2020
Updated
Aug 6, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-200, T1552.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 20, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 6, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

2.1NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
6.8GitHub Advisory DatabaseCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
T1552.001Credentials In Files

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo