Ansible TowerApplication · Redhat
CVE-2019-19341
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 · uneditedA flaw was found in Ansible Tower, versions 3.6.x before 3.6.2, where files in '/var/backup/tower' are left world-readable. These files include both the SECRET_KEY and the database backup. Any user with access to the Tower server, and knowledge of when a backup is run, could retrieve every credential stored in Tower. Access to data is the highest threat with this vulnerability.
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 confidenceAnsible Tower versions 3.6.x before 3.6.2 leaves backup files in /var/backup/tower with world-readable permissions (mode 644 or similar), exposing the SECRET_KEY and database backups containing all stored credentials to any local user on the system.
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 TowerApplication
>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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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Identify installed Ansible Tower versionRun 'awx-manage --version' or check /etc/tower/version to determine the exact version of Ansible Tower installedAffected if The installed version is 3.6.0, 3.6.1, or any 3.6.x version prior to 3.6.2
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Locate the backup directoryCheck if the directory /var/backup/tower exists on the systemAffected if The directory /var/backup/tower exists on the system
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Inspect backup file permissionsRun 'ls -la /var/backup/tower' or 'stat /var/backup/tower/*' to list file permissions of all files in the backup directoryAffected if Any backup files in /var/backup/tower have permissions of 644, 640, or otherwise readable by all users (check for 'r--r--r--' or 'rw-r-----' permissions)
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Verify world-readable statusAs a non-root user, attempt to read files in /var/backup/tower using 'cat' or 'ls' to confirm unauthorized access is possibleAffected if A non-privileged local user can read backup files containing the SECRET_KEY or database dumps
You are affected if Ansible Tower version 3.6.0 through 3.6.1 is installed and backup files in /var/backup/tower are readable by non-privileged local users.
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 data3.6.2
Update to Ansible Tower 3.6.2 or later, then rotate the SECRET_KEY and all credentials stored in Tower, as they may have been exposed to unauthorized local users.
Fix this in Ansible Tower
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $4,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-19341 — 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-2019-19341 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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