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AnsibleApplication · Redhat

CVE-2021-20180

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-03-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.9.18 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
A flaw was found in ansible module where credentials are disclosed in the console log by default and not protected by the security feature when using the bitbucket_pipeline_variable module. This flaw allows an attacker to steal bitbucket_pipeline credentials. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.

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 confidence

The bitbucket_pipeline_variable Ansible module discloses credentials in console output by default, lacking proper protection through Ansible's no_log security feature. An attacker with access to logs can capture Bitbucket Pipeline credentials.

MitigationEnable no_log=True in Ansible playbooks using the bitbucket_pipeline_variable module to prevent credential disclosure, or update the module itself to enforce no_log by default.

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
AnsibleApplication
Affected:< 2.9.18

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Ansible version
    Run 'ansible --version' or 'ansible-playbook --version' to get the version number
    Affected if The version displayed is earlier than 2.9.18 (e.g., 2.9.17, 2.9.0, etc.)
  2. Identify playbooks using bitbucket_pipeline_variable
    Search your playbook files for 'bitbucket_pipeline_variable' module usage (e.g., grep -r 'bitbucket_pipeline_variable' /path/to/playbooks/)
    Affected if This module is present in any playbook files in your environment
  3. Check for missing no_log protection
    Examine the identified playbooks and look for the bitbucket_pipeline_variable tasks. Verify whether 'no_log: true' or 'no_log: yes' is NOT set on those tasks
    Affected if The module is used without 'no_log: true' on its tasks, allowing credential output
  4. Inspect task execution output
    Run the playbooks with verbose output (ansible-playbook -v) or check Ansible logs, CI/CD logs, and terminal output history for the presence of sensitive values
    Affected if Credentials or sensitive values appear in any logs or console output during playbook execution

You are affected if you run Ansible versions below 2.9.18 and use the bitbucket_pipeline_variable module without no_log protection, allowing credentials to appear in logs.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.9.18 or later
Fixed in 2.9.18
Interim mitigation

Enable no_log=True in Ansible playbooks using the bitbucket_pipeline_variable module to prevent credential disclosure, or update the module itself to enforce no_log by default.

Recommended fix High confidence

Ansible 2.9.18 or later (ansible-core 2.9.18+)

  1. 1. Check the current Ansible version installed: ansible --version
  2. 2. If the version is less than 2.9.18, upgrade Ansible using the appropriate package manager
  3. 3. For pip installations: pip install --upgrade ansible
  4. 4. For system package managers (e.g., yum, dnf, apt): Update the system packages or install ansible-core specifically
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by running: ansible --version
  6. 6. Confirm the version is 2.9.18 or higher

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Ansible Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-20180 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data