CVE-2026-84691
Automation-controller: automation-controller-container: automation-controller: format string injection in the api 4xx error log setting discloses django secret_key and database credentials to an administrator
Description
A flaw was found in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform's automation- controller. The setting that formats the log message emitted for API 4XX errors is an administrator-controlled Python format-string template that is rendered with a live user object as an argument. Because Python string formatting permits attribute and item traversal on its arguments, an administrator can craft a template that walks from the user object into the application settings and reads the Django secret key and the database password. The formatted message is written to a logger that can be forwarded to an external log aggregator, whose destination is also administrator-controlled, allowing the secrets to be sent off the host. An authenticated administrator can thereby obtain the master encryption key used to protect all stored credentials and the database service password, enabling offline decryption of every stored credential, forgery of user sessions, and direct access to the controller database.
INFO
Published Date :
Sept. 23, 2026, 8:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Sept. 23, 2026, 10:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | 53f830b8-0a3f-465b-8143-3b8a9948e749 | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Review and restrict administrator privileges.
- Sanitize user-controlled log message templates.
- Implement input validation for log data.
- Update the affected component to the latest version.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-84691.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71113 | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-84691 | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2527151 |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-84691 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-84691
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-84691 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-84691 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Modified by [email protected]
Sep. 23, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/84xxx/CVE-2026-84691.json">CVE-2026-84691</a> Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71113 -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Sep. 23, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A flaw was found in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform's automation- controller. The setting that formats the log message emitted for API 4XX errors is an administrator-controlled Python format-string template that is rendered with a live user object as an argument. Because Python string formatting permits attribute and item traversal on its arguments, an administrator can craft a template that walks from the user object into the application settings and reads the Django secret key and the database password. The formatted message is written to a logger that can be forwarded to an external log aggregator, whose destination is also administrator-controlled, allowing the secrets to be sent off the host. An authenticated administrator can thereby obtain the master encryption key used to protect all stored credentials and the database service password, enabling offline decryption of every stored credential, forgery of user sessions, and direct access to the controller database. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N Added CWE CWE-134 Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/84xxx/CVE-2026-84691.json">CVE-2026-84691</a> Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-84691 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2527151 -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Sep. 23, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-84691', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-23T19:29:49.530587Z'}