Arbitrary code execution in Python Ansible Vault

1) Command injection

EUVDB-ID: #VU8446

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 8.3 [CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2017-2809

CWE-ID: CWE-77 - Command injection

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows an adjacent attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the target system.

The weakness exists in the yaml loading functionality due to improper processing of Yet Another Markup Language (YAML) content. An adjacent attacker can submit a specially crafted vault containing embedded Python code, and execute arbitrary commands.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in code execution and system compromise.

Mitigation

Update to version 1.0.5.
https://pypi.python.org/pypi/ansible-vault/1.0.5

Vulnerable software versions

Ansible Vault: 1.0.4

External links

http://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2017-0305

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the local network (LAN).

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.