{"cve":"CVE-2018-16859","nvd":{"published":"2018-11-29T18:29:00.537","modified":"2026-06-17T01:44:55.680","status":"Modified","description":"Execution of Ansible playbooks on Windows platforms with PowerShell ScriptBlock logging and Module logging enabled can allow for 'become' passwords to appear in EventLogs in plaintext. A local user with administrator privileges on the machine can view these logs and discover the plaintext password. Ansible Engine 2.8 and older are believed to be vulnerable.","cvss_v4":null,"cvss_v3":{"version":"3.0","vector":"CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N","score":4.4},"cwes":["CWE-532"],"references":["http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-04/msg00021.html","http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-06/msg00077.html","http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-08/msg00020.html","http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106004","https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3770"],"products":["redhat:ansible_engine"],"source":"nvd","synced_at":"2026-10-19T20:53:59.789560037+00:00"},"epss":{"cve":"CVE-2018-16859","score":0.00539,"percentile":0.45403,"date":"2026-10-31"},"kev":null,"osv":[{"id":"GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r","url":"https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-v735-2pp6-h86r","summary":"Ansible Logs Passwords If PowerShell ScriptBlock is Enabled","modified":"2024-09-04T19:46:25.167417Z","packages":[{"ecosystem":"PyPI","name":"ansible","purl":"pkg:pypi/ansible","ranges":[">=2.7.0a1 <2.7.3"],"fixed":["2.7.3"]},{"ecosystem":"PyPI","name":"ansible","purl":"pkg:pypi/ansible","ranges":["<2.5.12"],"fixed":["2.5.12"]},{"ecosystem":"PyPI","name":"ansible","purl":"pkg:pypi/ansible","ranges":[">=2.6.0a1 <2.6.9"],"fixed":["2.6.9"]}]},{"id":"PYSEC-2018-60","url":"https://osv.dev/vulnerability/PYSEC-2018-60","summary":"","modified":"2026-06-10T17:00:17.877642758Z","packages":[{"ecosystem":"PyPI","name":"ansible","purl":"pkg:pypi/ansible","ranges":[">=2.7.0 <2.7.4",">=2.7.5 <2.8.1","<2.5.13",">=2.6.0 <2.6.10"],"fixed":["2.7.4","2.8.1","2.5.13","2.6.10"]}]}],"attribution":["This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.","EPSS scores: FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System, https://www.first.org/epss","Known exploited vulnerabilities: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","Package advisories: OSV (https://osv.dev), from the GitHub Advisory Database, PyPA, Go, RustSec and other ecosystem databases, under CC-BY 4.0 or CC0","CVE records: the CVE Program's CVE List (https://www.cve.org), under its terms of use (https://www.cve.org/Legal/TermsOfUse). CVE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation; this product is not affiliated with the CVE Program."]}