What is CVE-2020-14365?

CVE-2020-14365 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in ansible (pip), affecting versions >= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.15. It is fixed in 2.8.15, 2.9.13.

How severe is CVE-2020-14365?

CVE-2020-14365 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of ansible are affected by CVE-2020-14365?

ansible (pip) versions >= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.15 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-14365?

Yes. CVE-2020-14365 is fixed in 2.8.15, 2.9.13. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-14365 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-14365 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2020-14365 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

How do I fix CVE-2020-14365?

Upgrade: ansible to 2.8.15 or later, ansible to 2.9.13 or later.

CVE-2020-14365 in ansible

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-14365?

CVE-2020-14365 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of ansible are affected by CVE-2020-14365?

ansible (pip) versions >= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.15 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-14365?

Yes. CVE-2020-14365 is fixed in 2.8.15, 2.9.13. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2020-14365 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-14365 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2020-14365 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-14365?

Upgrade: ansible to 2.8.15 or later, ansible to 2.9.13 or later.

Summary

Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature in ansible

A flaw was found in the Ansible Engine, in ansible-engine 2.8.x before 2.8.15 and ansible-engine 2.9.x before 2.9.13, when installing packages using the dnf module. GPG signatures are ignored during installation even when disable_gpg_check is set to False, which is the default behavior. This flaw leads to malicious packages being installed on the system and arbitrary code executed via package installation scripts. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to integrity and system availability.

Impact

CVE-2020-14365 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.8.15, 2.9.13); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

ansible (>= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.15) ansible (>= 2.9.0a1, < 2.9.13)

Security releases

ansible → 2.8.15 (pip) ansible → 2.9.13 (pip)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

ansible to 2.8.15 or later; ansible to 2.9.13 or later

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-14365? CVE-2020-14365 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in ansible (pip), affecting versions >= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.15. It is fixed in 2.8.15, 2.9.13.
How severe is CVE-2020-14365? CVE-2020-14365 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of ansible are affected by CVE-2020-14365? ansible (pip) versions >= 2.8.0a1, < 2.8.15 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-14365? Yes. CVE-2020-14365 is fixed in 2.8.15, 2.9.13. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-14365 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-14365 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2020-14365 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2020-14365?
- Upgrade ansible to 2.8.15 or later
- Upgrade ansible to 2.9.13 or later

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