CVE-2020-10684Public exploit

Code execution via nested ansible_facts injection

Published Mar 24, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Code injection in Red Hat Ansible 2.7.x before 2.7.17, 2.8.x before 2.8.9, and 2.9.x before 2.9.6 allows local users to run commands. The fact-cleaning path permits a module result to nest ansible_facts inside itself, then promotes that unprocessed subkey over sanitized top-level facts. Exploitation requires fact injection to be enabled and attacker-influenced module output; overwritten interpreter or host data can execute commands or elevate privileges.

CVSS severity7.9
High
EPSS probability0.35%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Code injection in Red Hat Ansible 2.7.x before 2.7.17, 2.8.x before 2.8.9, and 2.9.x before 2.9.6 allows local users to run commands. The fact-cleaning path permits a module result to nest ansible_facts inside itself, then promotes that unprocessed subkey over sanitized top-level facts. Exploitation requires fact injection to be enabled and attacker-influenced module output; overwritten interpreter or host data can execute commands or elevate privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-10684
Published
Mar 24, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Ansible
Classifications
CWE-362, CWE-94, CWE-862, T1059, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 24, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 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=all Ansible 2.7.x versions prior to 2.7.17
  2. Affected versionversion=all Ansible 2.8.x versions prior to 2.8.9
  3. Affected versionversion=all Ansible 2.9.x versions prior to 2.9.6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Red Hat · Ansibleversion=all Ansible 2.7.x versions prior to 2.7.17; version=all Ansible 2.8.x versions prior to 2.8.9; version=all Ansible 2.9.x versions prior to 2.9.6

Published CVSS scores

7.1NISTCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
3.6NISTAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P
7.9Red Hat, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
CWE-94Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
CWE-862Missing Authorization
T1059Command and Scripting Interpreter
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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