Ansible TowerApplication · Redhat
CVE-2019-19342
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 and 3.5.x before 3.5.4, when /websocket is requested and the password contains the '#' character. This request would cause a socket error in RabbitMQ when parsing the password and an HTTP error code 500 and partial password disclose will occur in plaintext. An attacker could easily guess some predictable passwords or brute force the password.
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 confidenceA flaw in Ansible Tower versions 3.6.x before 3.6.2 and 3.5.x before 3.5.4 allows WebSocket authentication with a password containing '#' to trigger a RabbitMQ parsing error. This results in HTTP 500 responses that disclose partial passwords in plaintext, enabling attackers to perform password guessing or brute force attacks.
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
>= 3.5.0, < 3.5.4>= 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 versionCheck the Tower UI under /api/v1/ping or by running 'awx-manage --version' on the Tower host. Compare this version number against the affected ranges: < 3.5.4 or >= 3.6.0 but < 3.6.2.Affected if The installed version falls within 3.5.0 to 3.5.3, or 3.6.0 to 3.6.1.
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Determine if WebSocket authentication is in useReview whether Ansible Tower users authenticate via WebSocket endpoints, typically at /websocket/ or /api/v1/websockets/realms/.Affected if WebSocket authentication is enabled and accessible to users or clients.
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Audit existing passwords for '#' characterReview password policies and user accounts in Tower. Examine whether any passwords used for Tower user accounts or integrated credentials contain the '#' character.Affected if Any active Tower user passwords contain the '#' character.
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Inspect HTTP 500 error logs on WebSocket endpointsCheck Tower logs, nginx access logs, or aggregation systems for HTTP 500 errors targeting /websocket/ paths. Look for patterns showing plaintext password disclosure in error responses.Affected if Recent HTTP 500 errors are logged on WebSocket endpoints with plaintext password fragments in the response body.
You are affected if your Ansible Tower version is 3.5.0-3.5.3 or 3.6.0-3.6.1 AND you have passwords containing '#' in use for WebSocket authentication, or you observe HTTP 500 errors on /websocket endpoints with exposed password data.
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 data3.5.43.6.2
Upgrade Ansible Tower to version 3.6.2 or 3.5.4 or later to patch the vulnerability. Until then, avoid using '#' characters in passwords or monitor for HTTP 500 errors on /websocket endpoints.
Fix this in Ansible Tower
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-19342 — 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-2019-19342 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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