Ansible EngineApplication · Redhat
CVE-2018-10855
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAnsible 2.5 prior to 2.5.5, and 2.4 prior to 2.4.5, do not honor the no_log task flag for failed tasks. When the no_log flag has been used to protect sensitive data passed to a task from being logged, and that task does not run successfully, Ansible will expose sensitive data in log files and on the terminal of the user running Ansible.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn affected Ansible versions (2.4.x before 2.4.5 and 2.5.x before 2.5.5), the no_log task attribute intended to suppress sensitive data from logs and terminal output is not honored when a task fails. Any sensitive variables, passwords, tokens, or secrets passed to a failing task are exposed in Ansible's log files and console output, defeating the security control.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Ansible EngineApplication
>= 2.4, < 2.4.5> 2.5, <= 2.5.5= 2.0
CloudformsApplication
= 4.6
OpenstackApplication
= 13= 10= 12
VirtualizationApplication
= 4.0
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 9.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 16.04= 18.04= 19.04CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine installed Ansible versionRun 'ansible --version' or 'ansible-playbook --version' to obtain the exact version numberAffected if Version is 2.4.x before 2.4.5, or 2.5.x before 2.5.5 (for example 2.4.0 through 2.4.4, or 2.5.0 through 2.5.4)
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Identify playbooks using no_log attributeSearch playbook files for 'no_log: true' or 'no_log: yes' to find tasks attempting to suppress sensitive outputAffected if Any playbooks contain tasks with no_log enabled that could fail during execution
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Review Ansible log files for exposed dataExamine log files configured in ansible.cfg (typically /var/log/ansible.log or custom paths) and search for variable names, passwords, tokens, or secrets from failed tasksAffected if Log files contain sensitive values from tasks that failed while using no_log
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Check terminal output historyReview console logs, CI/CD output, or terminal scrollback from playbook runs that experienced task failures with no_log tasksAffected if Console output shows sensitive variables or secrets from failed no_log tasks
You are affected if you run Ansible versions 2.4.x before 2.4.5 or 2.5.x before 2.5.5 AND use no_log to protect sensitive data in tasks that could fail.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data2.4.5
Upgrade Ansible to version 2.4.5 or 2.5.5 or later where this issue is resolved. As a compensating control, avoid passing truly sensitive data through task variables that could fail, and review existing log files for potential exposure.
Fix this in Ansible Engine
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-10855 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-10855 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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