# CVE-2026-84691: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform controller format string in API error logging

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84691-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-2026-84691 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.7 · Published 2026-09-23

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform's automation-controller allows administrators to configure how API errors are logged using Python format strings. An authenticated administrator can craft a malicious format-string template that extracts sensitive secrets—including the Django secret key and database password—from the application. These credentials enable an attacker to decrypt all stored credentials, forge user sessions, and access the controller database directly.

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-2026-84691 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-84691 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-84691?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.7, published 23 September 2026.

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

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-84691?** 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-2026-84691 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-84691?** 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

An administrator-controlled Python format-string template used to render API 4XX error log messages is vulnerable to arbitrary attribute traversal. Python's string formatting permits walking from the user object argument into application settings, exposing the Django secret key and database password. The formatted message can be written to a logger that forwards to an external log aggregator (also administrator-controlled), allowing secrets to be exfiltrated off-host.

## 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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