CVE-2020-1737

Arbitrary file write via unchecked archive paths

Published Mar 9, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Path traversal in Red Hat Ansible through 2.7.17, 2.8.9, and 2.9.6 allows attackers to write files outside a win_unzip destination. The Extract-Zip function in lib/ansible/modules/windows/win_unzip.ps1 accepts relative archive-entry names without verifying that their resolved paths remain beneath the requested extraction directory. Exploitation requires a crafted ZIP archive to be processed through win_unzip against a Windows managed node, enabling file writes with the connected account's permissions.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.36%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in Red Hat Ansible through 2.7.17, 2.8.9, and 2.9.6 allows attackers to write files outside a win_unzip destination. The Extract-Zip function in lib/ansible/modules/windows/win_unzip.ps1 accepts relative archive-entry names without verifying that their resolved paths remain beneath the requested extraction directory. Exploitation requires a crafted ZIP archive to be processed through win_unzip against a Windows managed node, enabling file writes with the connected account's permissions.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-1737
Published
Mar 9, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Ansible
Classifications
CWE-22
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 9, 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=2.7.17 and prior
  2. Affected versionversion=2.8.9 and prior
  3. Affected versionversion=2.9.6 and prior
  4. Affected versionversion=fixed in 2.10

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Red Hat · Ansibleversion=2.7.17 and prior; version=2.8.9 and prior; version=2.9.6 and prior; version=fixed in 2.10

Published CVSS scores

4.6NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.8NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.5GitHubCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
7.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/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 exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

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

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Your stack

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