Ansible EngineApplication · Redhat
CVE-2020-1737
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 2.7.17 and prior, 2.8.9 and prior, and 2.9.6 and prior when using the Extract-Zip function from the win_unzip module as the extracted file(s) are not checked if they belong to the destination folder. An attacker could take advantage of this flaw by crafting an archive anywhere in the file system, using a path traversal. This issue is fixed in 2.10.
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 confidenceThe win_unzip module in Ansible versions 2.7.17 and prior, 2.8.9 and prior, and 2.9.6 and prior contains a path traversal vulnerability (zip slip) where the Extract-Zip function does not validate that extracted files remain within the intended destination directory. An attacker can craft a malicious ZIP archive containing files with relative path traversal sequences (e.g., ../../etc/passwd) to write files outside the destination folder, potentially overwriting system files or gaining unauthorized access.
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
< 2.7.17>= 2.8.0, < 2.8.9>= 2.9.0, < 2.9.6
Ansible TowerApplication
<= 3.3.4>= 3.4.0, <= 3.4.5>= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.5>= 3.6.0, <= 3.6.3CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 versionRun command: ansible --version. This displays the installed Ansible Engine version.Affected if Version is 2.7.x and less than 2.7.17, OR 2.8.x and less than 2.8.9, OR 2.9.x and less than 2.9.6.
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Identify Ansible Tower versionLog into Ansible Tower web UI and navigate to Settings > About, or run: awx-manage --versionAffected if Tower version is 3.3.4 or earlier; 3.4.0 through 3.4.5; 3.5.0 through 3.5.5; or 3.6.0 through 3.6.3.
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Locate win_unzip module usageSearch playbooks, roles, and task files for 'win_unzip' module calls: grep -r 'win_unzip:' /path/to/playbooks/or/roles/Affected if The win_unzip module is used in any playbook or task within the environment.
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Inspect ZIP extraction sourcesReview playbooks using win_unzip and identify whether the src parameter points to untrusted or externally-sourced ZIP archives (URLs, downloaded files, user-provided archives).Affected if win_unzip extracts from untrusted or external ZIP sources without prior validation of archive contents.
You are affected if you run Ansible Engine versions prior to 2.7.17, 2.8.9, or 2.9.6, or Ansible Tower versions listed above, AND use the win_unzip module to extract ZIP archives, especially from untrusted sources.
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 data2.7.172.8.92.9.6
Upgrade to Ansible 2.10 or later to obtain the patched win_unzip module. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, avoid using win_unzip with untrusted or externally-sourced ZIP archives and implement manual validation of archive contents before extraction.
Fix this in Ansible Engine
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-1737 — 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-2020-1737 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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