CVE-2021-3583 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Red Hat's Ansible. This vulnerability allows a user's controller to be exploited through template injection. Attackers can leverage this flaw to perform command injection, which could disclose sensitive information. The vulnerability is classified with a CVSS score of 7.1, indicating its high impact potential, particularly concerning confidentiality and integrity.
Organizations using affected versions of Ansible should prioritize addressing this vulnerability. The risk includes unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential manipulation of system configurations. Given the nature of the flaw, the urgency for remediation is high, and organizations should patch immediately to mitigate risks.
The vulnerability was published on September 22, 2021, and has been marked as modified. Currently, there are no known exploits publicly available, but the exploitability status remains high, necessitating vigilance and prompt action from security teams.
In summary, CVE-2021-3583 poses a serious risk to organizations utilizing Ansible. Immediate remediation is essential to prevent potential exploitation and safeguard sensitive information.
Vulnerability Details
A flaw was found in Ansible, where a user's controller is vulnerable to template injection. This issue can occur through facts used in the template if the user is trying to put templates in multi-line YAML strings and the facts being handled do not routinely include special template characters. This flaw allows attackers to perform command injection, which discloses sensitive information. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality and integrity.
This vulnerability is classified as CVE-2021-3583, and it has a CVSS score of 7.1, indicating a high severity level. The CVSS vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
Affected products include Ansible Automation Platform, Ansible Engine, and Ansible Tower. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to the vendor patch.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of CVE-2021-3583 is related to improper handling of template strings in Ansible. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious commands through template injection. The attack vector is local, meaning that an attacker must have access to the local environment where Ansible is running.
The attack complexity is low, requiring minimal effort for exploitation. The privileges required are also low, enabling attackers to execute commands with limited permissions. User interaction is not required, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous. The potential impacts on confidentiality and integrity are high, while availability is not affected.
Risk & Impact Analysis
Risk to organizations includes unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential manipulation of system configurations. The blast radius of this vulnerability is significant, with possible widespread implications for any organization leveraging Ansible in its environment.
Organizations should assess the urgency of this vulnerability based on its CVSS score of 7.1, which indicates a high level of risk. Given the potential for exploitation, immediate action is required to protect sensitive data.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The vulnerability affects the following products: Ansible Automation Platform (version 1.2 and later), Ansible Engine (all versions prior to 2.9.23), and Ansible Tower (all versions prior to 3.7.0). Organizations should ensure that they upgrade to secure versions to mitigate this risk.
Mitigation & Remediation
To mitigate CVE-2021-3583, organizations should prioritize applying the latest patches from Red Hat. For Ansible Automation Platform, ensure you are using a version beyond 1.2; for Ansible Engine, upgrade to version 2.9.23 or later; and for Ansible Tower, update to version 3.7.0 or later.
If patches are not immediately available, consider implementing configuration hardening and network controls to limit access to the affected systems. Regular monitoring of logs for unusual activities can also help in identifying potential attempts to exploit this vulnerability.
Organizations should validate remediation effectiveness through penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses.
Detection Guidance
To effectively monitor for potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should focus on log indicators that capture command execution attempts, particularly those involving template manipulations. Behavioral anomalies in usage patterns of Ansible should be flagged for review, and network signatures aimed at detecting unauthorized command injections should be established.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
CVE-2021-3583 represents a significant risk within environments utilizing Ansible, highlighting the critical need for robust security practices around configuration management tools. This vulnerability serves as a reminder to continuously assess and improve security postures in response to emerging threats.
Additionally, the patterns of vulnerability exploitation in automation tools are evolving, stressing the importance of vigilance in monitoring and quick remediation strategies.
For further insights on improving application security, organizations can refer to resources on penetration testing methodology and vulnerability management programs to strengthen defenses against future threats.
In conclusion, CVE-2021-3583 is a crucial vulnerability that organizations must address swiftly to protect their infrastructures and sensitive data.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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