# CVE-2026-16493: Red Hat ansible-core argument injection in ansible-galaxy collection install

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-16493-red-hat-ansible-core-argument-injection-in-ansible-galaxy  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-21. Updated: 2026-07-21  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-16493 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-07-21

A security vulnerability exists in ansible-core, the central engine for the Ansible automation platform. When a user attempts to install a collection from a malicious source using the 'ansible-galaxy' command, the system can be tricked into running unauthorized commands. This could allow an attacker to take control of the system where the automation is being managed, potentially leading to data theft or service disruption.

Technologies: [Red Hat Ansible-Core](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ansible-core), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-10), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-8), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-9). Vendors: [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-16493 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-16493 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-16493?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 21 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Red Hat Ansible-Core stable-2.18, stable-2.17, devel.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-16493?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-16493 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-16493?** Check whether you run Red Hat Ansible-Core, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 or one of the others listed 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.

## Technical details

An argument injection vulnerability exists in the _extract_collection_from_git() function within ansible-core's concrete_artifact_manager.py. The software fails to use the '--' (end-of-options) separator when constructing git clone commands with user-supplied URLs. An attacker can provide a crafted URI containing git argument injection payloads (such as -ccore.sshCommand) to achieve arbitrary command execution when a user runs 'ansible-galaxy collection install'. This issue represents an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-11332, as the hardening applied to the role install path was not implemented for the collection install path. The vulnerability is present in the devel, stable-2.18, and stable-2.17 branches.

## Affected products

- Red Hat ansible-core stable-2.18, stable-2.17, devel
- Red Hat Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Red Hat Satellite 6

## Timeline

- 2026-07-21: disclosed: Vulnerability reported via Red Hat Bugzilla and NVD

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16493](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16493)
- [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2503724](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2503724)

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