# CVE-2026-84502: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform controller command injection in project scm_url

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84502-a-flaw-was-found-in-red-hat-ansible-automation-platform-s  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-23. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-84502 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-09-23

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform's automation-controller component fails to validate the scm_url field for project configuration, allowing a user with project creation or modification permissions to inject arbitrary git command-line options. An attacker can craft a malicious URL beginning with a dash that is passed unsafely to git, resulting in arbitrary command execution on the control-plane pod with the ability to compromise multiple tenants and move laterally across the cluster.

Technologies: [Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ansible-automation-platform-2). Vendors: [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-84502 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-84502 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-84502?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 23 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-84502?** 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-2026-84502 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-84502?** Check whether you run Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. 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

The vulnerability is a command injection flaw in the automation-controller's project scm_url handling. The unsanitized URL is passed directly as a positional argument to git ls-remote without a "--" separator, allowing git option injection (e.g., "--upload-pack=<command>") which are then executed via shell. An authenticated user with permission to create or modify projects can exploit this to achieve arbitrary code execution on the control-plane task pod with cross-tenant and lateral movement capabilities.

## Affected products

- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

## Timeline

- 2026-09-23: disclosed

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://catalog.redhat.com/software/containers/](https://catalog.redhat.com/software/containers/)

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