# CVE-2014-4678: Ansible Code Injection Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2014-4678-ansible-code-injection-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2020-02-20  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2014-4678 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2020-02-20

The safe_eval function in Ansible before 1.6.4 does not properly restrict the code subset, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted instructions. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2014-4657.

Technologies: [ansible (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ansible). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2014-4678 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2014-4678 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2014-4678?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 20 February 2020.

**Which products and versions are affected?** ansible (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.6.4, GIT:introduced=0,fixed=5429b85b9f6c2e640074176f36ff05fd5e4d1916|ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.6.4.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2014-4678?** Yes. ansible (PyPI): upgrade to 1.6.4 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2014-4678?** Check whether you run ansible (PyPI) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- ansible (PyPI): upgrade to 1.6.4 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "ansible>=1.6.4"
  ```


## Affected products

- ansible (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.6.4, GIT:introduced=0,fixed=5429b85b9f6c2e640074176f36ff05fd5e4d1916|ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=1.6.4

## Identifiers

- CVE-2014-4678
- GHSA-66c7-5pwv-mm3j
- PYSEC-2020-203

## Related threats

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- [PYSEC-2026-768 - Ansible leaks password to logs](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-3697-ansible-leaks-password-to-logs)
- [PYSEC-2026-618 - Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in ansible](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-20180-insertion-of-sensitive-information-into-log-file-in-ansible)
- [Ansible community.general information exposure in Keycloak user module](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-14010-ansible-community-general-information-exposure-in-keycloak-user)
- [Ansible discloses sensitive information in traceback error message](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-3620-ansible-discloses-sensitive-information-in-traceback-error-message)
