CVE-2024-0690 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting ansible-core versions 2.14.0, 2.15.0, and 2.16.0. The root cause is the improper handling of the ANSIBLE_NO_LOG configuration flag, which is intended to suppress sensitive information from being logged during playbook execution. However, in certain scenarios—particularly when tasks involve loops—the flag is not fully respected, resulting in sensitive data such as decrypted secret values being included in the output logs. This flaw can expose confidential information to users who have access to these logs, potentially leading to unauthorized disclosure of secrets used in automation workflows. The vulnerability requires low privileges (local access) and user interaction to trigger, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R). The impact is primarily on confidentiality, with no direct effect on integrity or availability. No public exploits have been reported to date. The vulnerability was published on February 6, 2024, and is assigned a medium severity score of 5.0 under CVSS 3.1. The issue is particularly relevant for organizations that rely heavily on ansible-core for configuration management and automation, especially where sensitive credentials or secrets are handled within playbooks.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a risk of sensitive information leakage through logs generated by ansible-core automation tasks. Since ansible is widely used for infrastructure automation, misconfiguration or exploitation could lead to exposure of decrypted secrets such as passwords, API keys, or certificates. This could facilitate lateral movement, privilege escalation, or further compromise if attackers gain access to these logs. The impact is heightened in environments with shared or insufficiently protected logging infrastructure. Confidentiality breaches could undermine compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, leading to legal and reputational consequences. However, the requirement for local access and user interaction limits remote exploitation, reducing the likelihood of widespread automated attacks. Organizations with mature DevOps practices and extensive use of ansible in cloud or hybrid environments are particularly at risk.

1. Upgrade ansible-core to a patched version once available from the vendor or community to ensure the ANSIBLE_NO_LOG flag is properly enforced. 2. Immediately audit existing logs for any inadvertent exposure of sensitive information and securely delete or redact such data. 3. Restrict access to ansible logs to only trusted administrators and use strict file permissions to prevent unauthorized reading. 4. Implement environment segmentation and least privilege principles to limit who can run ansible playbooks and access automation logs. 5. Where possible, avoid logging sensitive data within playbooks or use vault/encryption mechanisms that do not rely solely on ANSIBLE_NO_LOG. 6. Monitor for suspicious local user activity that could indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 7. Educate DevOps and security teams about the risk of logging sensitive information and enforce secure coding and operational practices in automation scripts.