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.
CVE-2014-4678
This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 10.1%, top 7% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 9.8
- EG Score
- 9.8(medium)
- EPSS
- 91.5%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
February 20, 2020
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
Advisory Details (4)
Auto-updated May 27, 2026commit 5429b85b9f6c (ansible/ansible)
Patch available: ansible/ansible v2.20.3rc1 (contains commit 5429b85b9f6c)
https://github.com/ansible/ansible/commit/5429b85b9f6c2e640074176f36ff05fd5e4d1916oss-security - Re: Ansible CVE requests
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/07/02/2oss-security - Re: Re: Ansible CVE requests
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/06/26/30Affected Packages
(1 across 1 ecosystem)
PyPI(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| ansible | 1.0 ... 0.01 (36 versions) | 1.6.4 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 7× in last 7d / 37× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-11 08:23 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-04 06:27 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-07-02 08:47 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-07-01 15:02 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-30 23:19 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-19 19:23 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-14 23:14 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-14 08:13 UTCOSV refresh
- 2026-06-13 22:57 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-12 23:08 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-11 13:57 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-06-10 22:15 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 07:25 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-05-24 16:43 UTCEPSS rescore
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-74
- CVE-2015-10062NVD 5.5EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2015-10027NVD 5.5EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2016-15007NVD 5.5EG 9.8MEDIUM
- CVE-2016-15004NVD 7.3EG 9.8HIGH
- CVE-2013-4144EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2013-7487EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-4967EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-4966EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2013-7381EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2013-2010EG 9.8EPSS 99%CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2014-4678?
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What is the CVSS score of CVE-2014-4678?
How do I remediate CVE-2014-4678?
Dependency Blast Radius
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