How severe is CVE-2020-1734?

CVE-2020-1734 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability low.

Is CVE-2020-1734 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (38th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-1734?

CVE-2020-1734 primarily affects Redhat Ansible Engine. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-1734?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-1734 published?

CVE-2020-1734 was published on 2020-03-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-1734

CVE-2020-1734 is a high-severity vulnerability in Redhat Ansible Engine with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-78.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.4)
CVSS v2: 3.7
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (38th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-78
Affected product: Redhat Ansible Engine
Published: 2020-03-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A flaw was found in the pipe lookup plugin of ansible. Arbitrary commands can be run, when the pipe lookup plugin uses subprocess.Popen() with shell=True, by overwriting ansible facts and the variable is not escaped by quote plugin. An attacker could take advantage and run arbitrary commands by overwriting the ansible facts.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-1734?: A flaw was found in the pipe lookup plugin of ansible. Arbitrary commands can be run, when the pipe lookup plugin uses subprocess.Popen() with shell=True, by overwriting ansible facts and the variable is not escaped by quote plugin. An attacker could take advantage and run arbitrary commands by overwriting the ansible facts.
How severe is CVE-2020-1734?: CVE-2020-1734 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability low.
Is CVE-2020-1734 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (38th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-1734?: CVE-2020-1734 primarily affects Redhat Ansible Engine. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-1734?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-1734 published?: CVE-2020-1734 was published on 2020-03-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:2.8.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_engine:2.9.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_tower:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_tower:3.4.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_tower:3.5.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_tower:3.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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