CVE-2019-19348Public exploit

Container privilege escalation via writable passwd file

Published Apr 2, 2020 · Updated Aug 5, 2024

Privilege escalation in Red Hat's Ansible Playbook Bundle Base before 3.11.188-4, 4.1.37, 4.2.21, or 4.3.5 allows local users to gain container root. The image assigns permissions that let non-root users append a UID 0 account to /etc/passwd and select that account with su. Existing access to the running container is required, and OpenShift's default restricted policy blocks setuid and setgid, preventing exploitation in default unprivileged containers.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.26%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Red Hat's Ansible Playbook Bundle Base before 3.11.188-4, 4.1.37, 4.2.21, or 4.3.5 allows local users to gain container root. The image assigns permissions that let non-root users append a UID 0 account to /etc/passwd and select that account with su. Existing access to the running container is required, and OpenShift's default restricted policy blocks setuid and setgid, preventing exploitation in default unprivileged containers.

The record

CVE
CVE-2019-19348
Published
Apr 2, 2020
Updated
Aug 5, 2024
Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Ansible Playbook Bundle Base
Classifications
CWE-269, CWE-266, T1068, T1136.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 2, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Fixed in 3.11.188-4
  2. Affected versionversion=Fixed in 4.1.37-202003021622
  3. Affected versionversion=Fixed in 4.2.21-202002240343
  4. Affected versionversion=Fixed in 4.3.5-202003020549

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Red Hat · Ansible Playbook Bundle Baseversion=Fixed in 3.11.188-4; version=Fixed in 4.1.37-202003021622; version=Fixed in 4.2.21-202002240343; version=Fixed in 4.3.5-202003020549

Published CVSS scores

4.4NISTAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.0Red Hat, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
CWE-266Incorrect Privilege Assignment
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
T1136.001Create Account: Local Account

Public exploit references

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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