CVE-2024-9902: Ansible-core: ansible-core user may read/write unauthorized content
Not in the CISA KEV catalog. Medium advisory severity (CVSS 6.3, Red Hat).
Compare the source-linked records below. Ratings and product/version details belong to each advisory; they are not a single CVE-wide score or proof that every listed product is affected. How VulniPulse collects and checks evidence.
CVE-2024-9902 key facts
- CISA KEV
- Not listed (catalog checked )
- Highest advisory severity
- Medium
- CVSS base score
- 6.3 (Red Hat)
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L(Red Hat)
- Weakness
- CWE-863
- Fixed releases
- Red Hat: ansible-automation-platform/ansible-builder-rhel8:1.2.0-91, ansible-automation-platform/ansible-builder-rhel9:3.0.1-95, ansible-automation-platform/ee-29-rhel8:2.9.27-32, ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel8:2.12.10-54, ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel9:2.15.12-17, ansible-core-1:2.15.13-1.el8ap and 8 more in the advisory
- Vendor advisories
- 2 from Red Hat
- VulniPulse record
- Published · Updated
Scores, vectors, weaknesses and fixed releases are quoted from vendor advisories that cover only CVE-2024-9902; bulletin-wide values are not repeated here.
Is CVE-2024-9902 exploited?
No exploitation is reported in the sources VulniPulse tracks: CVE-2024-9902 is not in the CISA KEV catalog (checked ) and no tracked advisory for it reports exploitation. That is not proof the vulnerability cannot be exploited.
How do I fix CVE-2024-9902?
Upgrade to a fixed release named by the vendor:
- Red Hat: ansible-automation-platform/ansible-builder-rhel8:1.2.0-91, ansible-automation-platform/ansible-builder-rhel9:3.0.1-95, ansible-automation-platform/ee-29-rhel8:2.9.27-32, ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel8:2.12.10-54, ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel9:2.15.12-17, ansible-core-1:2.15.13-1.el8ap
- In the play that uses the user module with the key generation option, have a prior task ensuring the public key does not exist for example: - name: avoid user exploit (change name depending on other options used in user task) file: path=/home/{{username}}/.ssh/id_rsa.pub state=absent (Red Hat)
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Vendor advisory comparison
Red Hat
2 advisories- Advisory severityMedium6.7
Medium [CVE-2024-9902 +1] user module generate_ssh_key follows a symlinked ~/.ssh enabling local privilege escalation (incomplete fix of CVE-2024-9902)
CVE-2026-123037Source published Source updated
This bulletin covers 2 CVEs. The products, versions, score and guidance below describe the bulletin; check its source for applicability to this specific CVE.
user module generate_ssh_key follows a symlinked ~/.ssh enabling local privilege escalation (incomplete fix of CVE-2024-9902). Red Hat rates this moderate (CVSS 6.7). Weakness: CWE-59. Affected products named by the advisory: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Ansible Core 2; OpenShift Service Mesh 3; Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2; and 7 more.
- Related products — impact not confirmed
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform Ansible Core 2
- OpenShift Service Mesh 3
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2
7 more entries in the full advisory.
- Source-reported affected versions
- Affected-version details not available in this record.
- Source-reported fixed versions
- No fixed-version detail extracted. This does not mean no fix exists.
- Mitigation guidance
- Do not use generate_ssh_key: yes against accounts whose home directory is controlled by an untrusted user; pre-create ~/.ssh as a real directory owned appropriately before running the module, or generate the key as the target account itself (dropping to its uid/gid) rather than as root.
- Advisory severityMedium6.3
Medium [CVE-2024-9902] Ansible-core: ansible-core user may read/write unauthorized content
CVE-2024-9902Source published Source updated
A flaw was found in Ansible. The ansible-core `user` module can allow an unprivileged user to silently create or replace the contents of any file on any system path and take ownership of it when a privileged user executes the `user` module against the unprivileged user's home directory. If the unprivileged user has traversal permissions on the directory containing the exploited target file, they retain full control over the contents of the file as its owner. Red Hat severity: Moderate — CVSS 6.3 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L). Weakness: CWE-863. Affected Red Hat products: Ansible Automation Platform Execution Environments; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 for RHEL 8; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 for RHEL 9; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for…
- Affected products in this advisory
- Ansible Automation Platform Execution Environments
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 for RHEL 8
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 for RHEL 9
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
2 more entries in the full advisory.
- Source-reported affected versions
- Affected-version details not available in this record.
- Source-reported fixed versions
- ansible-automation-platform/ansible-builder-rhel8:1.2.0-91
- ansible-automation-platform/ansible-builder-rhel9:3.0.1-95
- ansible-automation-platform/ee-29-rhel8:2.9.27-32
- ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel8:2.12.10-54
10 more entries in the full advisory.
- Mitigation guidance
- In the play that uses the user module with the key generation option, have a prior task ensuring the public key does not exist for example: - name: avoid user exploit (change name depending on other options used in user task) file: path=/home/{{username}}/.ssh/id_rsa.pub state=absent
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- CVE-2026-119977Oct 31, 2026Arbitrary code execution via predictable upgrade staging paths
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