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NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

CVE-2020-1736: A flaw was found in Ansible Engine when a file is moved using atomic_move primitive as the file mode cannot be specified.

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 13/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.40% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: ansible (openSUSE:Leap 15.3) 2.9.21-bp153.2.3.1; ansible (PyPI) 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17; ansible (Red Hat:ansible_engine:2.8::el7) 0:2.8.15-1.el7ae.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to ansible (openSUSE:Leap 15.3) 2.9.21-bp153.2.3.1; ansible (PyPI) 2.8.9, 2.9.6, 2.7.17; ansible (Red Hat:ansible_engine:2.8::el7) 0:2.8.15-1.el7ae or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

A flaw was found in Ansible Engine when a file is moved using atomic_move primitive as the file mode cannot be specified. This sets the destination files world-readable if the destination file does not exist and if the file exists, the file could be changed to have less restrictive permissions before the move. This could lead to the disclosure of sensitive data. All versions in 2.7.x, 2.8.x and 2.9.x branches are believed to be vulnerable.

LowCVSS 3.3 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Mar 16, 2020
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.4% · 34th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

13

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
13 / 40 · 3.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.4%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
3.3
CNA · redhat
2.2
1.1 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
redhatansible
redhatansible tower
redhatcloudforms management engine
redhatopenstack
fedoraprojectfedora

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • fedoraproject fedora31
  • fedoraproject fedora32
  • redhat ansible2.9.0 and later · before 2.9.13
  • redhat ansibleup to 2.7.16 inclusive
  • redhat ansible2.8.0 and later · before 2.8.15
  • redhat ansible tower3.3.5 and later · up to 3.4.5 inclusive
  • redhat ansible tower3.6.0 and later · up to 3.6.3 inclusive
  • redhat ansible tower3.7.0 and later · up to 3.7.2 inclusive
  • redhat ansible tower3.5.0 and later · up to 3.5.5 inclusive
  • redhat ansible towerup to 3.3.4 inclusive
  • redhat cloudforms management engine5.0
  • redhat openstack13

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Red Hat ansible

    • 2.7.x, 2.8.x, 2.9.xaffected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12ansiblefrom 0—
openSUSE:Leap 15.3ansiblebefore 2.9.21-bp153.2.3.12.9.21-bp153.2.3.1
PyPIansiblefrom 2.7.0 · up to and including 2.10.0—
PyPIansiblefrom 2.8.0 · before 2.8.92.8.9
PyPIansiblefrom 2.9.0 · before 2.9.62.9.6
PyPIansiblebefore 2.7.172.7.17
Red Hat:ansible_engine:2.8::el7ansiblebefore 0:2.8.15-1.el7ae0:2.8.15-1.el7ae
Red Hat:ansible_engine:2.8::el8ansiblebefore 0:2.8.15-1.el8ae0:2.8.15-1.el8ae
SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP3ansiblebefore 2.9.21-bp153.2.3.12.9.21-bp153.2.3.1

Same product

redhat: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2014-4678The safe_eval function in Ansible before 1.6.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrar
    41Plan
  • CVE-2014-4657The safe_eval function in Ansible before 1.5.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrar
    40Plan
  • CVE-2014-4967Multiple argument injection vulnerabilities in Ansible before 1.6.7 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by leveraging access to
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-1739Mar 12, 2020 · A flaw was found in Ansible 2.7.16 and prior, 2.8.8 and prior, and 2.9.5 and prior when a password is set with the argument "password" of sv
    15Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-1735Mar 16, 2020 · A flaw was found in the Ansible Engine when the fetch module is used.
    18Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2020-1738Mar 16, 2020 · A flaw was found in Ansible Engine when the module package or service is used and the parameter 'use' is not specified.
    15Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
opensuse:ansible2.9.21-bp153.2.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:ansible2.7.17Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:ansible2.8.9Package registry (OSV)
PyPI:ansible2.9.6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:ansible0:2.8.15-1.el7ae · Red Hat:ansible_engine:2.8::el7Package registry (OSV)
suse:ansible2.9.21-bp153.2.3.1 · SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP3Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-732 · Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (3 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records