How severe is CVE-2021-4041?

CVE-2021-4041 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-4041 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (23rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-4041?

CVE-2021-4041 primarily affects Redhat Ansible Runner. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-4041?

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-2021-4041 published?

CVE-2021-4041 was published on 2022-08-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-4041

CVE-2021-4041 is a high-severity vulnerability in Redhat Ansible Runner with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-116.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (23rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-116
Affected product: Redhat Ansible Runner
Published: 2022-08-24
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A flaw was found in ansible-runner. An improper escaping of the shell command, while calling the ansible_runner.interface.run_command, can lead to parameters getting executed as host's shell command. A developer could unintentionally write code that gets executed in the host rather than the virtual environment.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-4041?: A flaw was found in ansible-runner. An improper escaping of the shell command, while calling the ansible_runner.interface.run_command, can lead to parameters getting executed as host's shell command. A developer could unintentionally write code that gets executed in the host rather than the virtual environment.
How severe is CVE-2021-4041?: CVE-2021-4041 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-4041 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (23rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-4041?: CVE-2021-4041 primarily affects Redhat Ansible Runner. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-4041?: 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-2021-4041 published?: CVE-2021-4041 was published on 2022-08-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_runner:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_runner:2.1.0:alpha1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_runner:2.1.0:alpha2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:ansible_runner:2.1.0:beta1:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Redhat Ansible Runner

CVE-2021-3701 — Medium (CVSS 6.6): A flaw was found in ansible-runner where the default temporary files configuration in ansible-2.0.0 are written to…
CVE-2021-3702 — Medium (CVSS 6.3): A race condition flaw was found in ansible-runner, where an attacker could watch for rapid creation and deletion of a…

All CVEs affecting Redhat Ansible Runner →

Other CWE-116 vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-55730 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): XWiki Remote Macros provides XWiki rendering macros that are useful when migrating content from Confluence. Starting in…
CVE-2025-55729 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): XWiki Remote Macros provides XWiki rendering macros that are useful when migrating content from Confluence. Starting in…
CVE-2023-47143 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): IBM Tivoli Application Dependency Discovery Manager 7.3.0.0 through 7.3.0.10 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection,…
CVE-2023-26472 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform. Starting in version 6.2-milestone-1, one can execute any wiki content with…
CVE-2022-41934 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for applications built on top of it. Any user with…
CVE-2022-36100 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): XWiki Platform Applications Tag and XWiki Platform Tag UI are tag applications for XWiki, a generic wiki platform.…

Browse all CWE-116 vulnerabilities →