CVE-2023-3971 is a vulnerability identified in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.3 for RHEL 8, specifically within the Controller component's user interface settings. The flaw is an HTML injection vulnerability where the platform improperly neutralizes script-related HTML tags, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML content. This injection can be leveraged to craft a malicious login page that deceives legitimate users into submitting their credentials, effectively enabling credential harvesting. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L), but the attacker must have some privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R) is necessary for exploitation. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity severely (C:H/I:H), but does not affect availability (A:N). Although no known exploits are currently active in the wild, the potential for credential compromise and subsequent system takeover is significant. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input sanitization or output encoding in the UI settings, which allows script-related HTML tags to be processed rather than neutralized. This can lead to phishing-like attacks within the trusted interface of the automation platform. Given the critical role of Ansible Automation Platform in managing IT infrastructure, exploitation could lead to widespread compromise of automated workflows and sensitive data. The vulnerability was published on October 4, 2023, and is tracked under CVE-2023-3971 with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.3 (high severity).

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk due to the widespread use of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform in enterprise IT environments for automating configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration. Successful exploitation can lead to credential theft, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to the automation platform and potentially pivot to other critical systems. This compromises the confidentiality and integrity of automated processes and sensitive data, potentially disrupting business operations indirectly through manipulation of automation workflows. The lack of impact on availability means systems remain operational but under attacker control, increasing the risk of stealthy, persistent threats. Organizations in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, and government, which rely heavily on automation for operational efficiency and security, are particularly vulnerable. The requirement for some privilege and user interaction limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments with many users or less stringent access controls. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for remediation before widespread attacks occur.

1. Apply official patches from Red Hat as soon as they become available to address the HTML injection flaw directly. 2. Restrict access to the Ansible Automation Platform Controller UI to trusted administrators only, using network segmentation and VPNs to limit exposure. 3. Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data in the UI settings to prevent injection of malicious HTML or scripts. 4. Deploy Content Security Policies (CSP) in the web interface to restrict execution of unauthorized scripts and reduce the impact of injection attacks. 5. Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on the Controller UI to detect similar injection vulnerabilities. 6. Educate users and administrators about phishing risks and encourage vigilance when interacting with login pages or UI prompts. 7. Monitor logs and network traffic for suspicious activities indicative of credential harvesting attempts or unauthorized UI modifications. 8. Consider multi-factor authentication (MFA) for accessing the Controller to reduce the risk of credential compromise leading to full system takeover.