Ansible TowerApplication · Redhat
CVE-2020-10782
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 · uneditedAn exposure of sensitive information flaw was found in Ansible version 3.7.0. Sensitive information, such tokens and other secrets could be readable and exposed from the rsyslog configuration file, which has set the wrong world-readable permissions. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality. This is fixed in Ansible version 3.7.1.
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 Ansible version 3.7.0, the rsyslog configuration file is created with world-readable permissions, allowing any local user to read sensitive information such as authentication tokens and secrets stored in the configuration. This exposes credentials that could be leveraged for further attacks against 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
= 3.7.0CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 Ansible Tower versionRun 'awx-manage --version' or check the Tower UI under 'Administration > Settings > System > About' to confirm the installed Ansible Tower versionAffected if Version is exactly 3.7.0
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Locate rsyslog configuration fileCheck for rsyslog configuration in /etc/rsyslog.conf and files under /etc/rsyslog.d/ directory. Also check for Tower-specific rsyslog configs in /var/lib/awx/rsyslog/ or /opt/ansible-tower/rsyslog/conf/Affected if rsyslog configuration files exist in standard or Tower-specific locations
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Verify file permissions are world-readableRun 'ls -la <path_to_rsyslog_conf>' to inspect permissions. Use stat or getfacl for detailed permission analysisAffected if The configuration file has permissions like 644, 655, 666, or any mode that grants read access to 'others' (o+r)
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Inspect configuration for embedded secretsExamine the rsyslog configuration file contents using 'cat' or 'grep' to search for patterns like passwords=, auth=, key=, token=, or secrets stored in plain textAffected if Sensitive credentials, authentication tokens, or secrets are present in the configuration file AND the file is world-readable
A user is affected if running Ansible Tower version 3.7.0 with rsyslog configuration files that have world-readable permissions and contain exposed credentials.
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 dataUpgrade Ansible to version 3.7.1 or later. Additionally, audit existing rsyslog configuration files and ensure they have restrictive permissions (e.g., 600 or 640) to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive credentials.
Fix this in Ansible Tower
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10782 — 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-2020-10782 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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