CVE-2018-16859
4.2 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2018-16859 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting redhat ansible_engine. It was published on November 29, 2018 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 4.2 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 4.2, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
Execution of Ansible playbooks on Windows platforms with PowerShell ScriptBlock logging and Module logging enabled can allow for 'become' passwords to appear in EventLogs in plaintext. A local user with administrator privileges on the machine can view these logs and discover the plaintext password. Ansible Engine 2.8 and older are believed to be vulnerable.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from redhat. Update ansible_engine to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| redhat | ansible_engine | >= 0, < 2.5.13 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2018-16859?
CVE-2018-16859 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting redhat ansible_engine. It was published on November 29, 2018 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 4.2 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2018-16859?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 4.2, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2018-16859?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from redhat. Update ansible_engine to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2018-16859?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2018-16859 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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