EUVD-2026-38598
GHSA-3w6r-r33r-cfg6
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain low-priv EDA account
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DeliveryConnect to ansible-rulebook websocket
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ExploitEnumerate activation_id values
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ExecutionSend forged Worker message
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PersistReceive plaintext credentials
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ImpactPivot to managed systems
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Authorization checks on every request
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires an authenticated user account on the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform EDA controller (CVSS PR:L) with network reachability to the /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook websocket endpoint; no admin role, no user interaction, and no non-default configuration is required, because the endpoint is part of the standard EDA deployment in AAP 2, 2.5, and 2.6. Exploitation is limited by the attacker needing valid EDA credentials and knowing or enumerating an activation_id, and the value extracted is bounded to credentials bound to activations that exist on the targeted controller. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N is consistent with the description: a low-privileged authenticated user, over the network, with no user interaction, can extract high-value secrets belonging to other tenants - the scope change (S:C) reflects that credentials cross the EDA authorization boundary into systems those credentials unlock (Git, cloud, SSH targets). EPSS and KEV data were not provided, and no public exploit is identified at time of analysis, so this is not (yet) known to be opportunistically exploited; however the trivial precondition (any authenticated EDA user account) combined with the catastrophic blast radius (credential theft enabling lateral movement to every system EDA automates) makes this a real, high-priority issue rather than a paper-tiger CVSS. Effective real-world risk is highest in multi-tenant or multi-team AAP deployments where the user population is larger than the set of people trusted with every activation's secrets. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker obtains or is granted a low-privilege user account on the AAP/EDA controller (insider, contractor, or a previously phished account). They open a websocket to /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook, enumerate or guess activation_id values belonging to higher-privileged automations, and send forged Worker messages, receiving plaintext OAuth tokens, vault passwords, and SSH keys back from the controller - which they then use to pivot directly into the cloud accounts, Git repositories, and Linux fleets that EDA automates. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 23, 2026
Credential disclosure in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 and 2.6 allows any authenticated user to retrieve plaintext OAuth tokens, vault passwords, and SSH keys by sending forged Worker messages to the Event-Driven Ansible websocket endpoint. The /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook endpoint fails to verify permissions on activation_id values, enabling lateral credential theft across tenants. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the low attack complexity and scope-changed CVSS of 9.6 make this a high-priority patch.
RemediationAI
Apply the Red Hat patches available per vendor advisory by installing the updated EDA controller packages shipped in RHSA-2026:28492 (https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28492) and RHSA-2026:28497 (https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:28497) for Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 and 2.6; exact fix versions should be taken from those errata. Until patching is possible, restrict EDA controller access to the minimum trusted operator set (since any authenticated EDA user can exploit this) and front the websocket endpoint with a reverse proxy that blocks /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook from non-operator network segments, accepting the trade-off that legitimate distributed rulebook workers in those segments will lose connectivity. Rotate all credentials managed by EDA - OAuth tokens, vault passwords, and SSH keys - after patching, on the assumption that any pre-patch user could have already harvested them.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affects your stack
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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability resides in the Event-Driven Ansible (EDA) controller component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, specifically in the websocket API at /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook. EDA uses websocket connections between rulebook worker processes and the controller to exchange activation state and credential material needed to execute automation. The flaw is a classic CWE-862 (Missing Authorization): the endpoint authenticates the user session but does not perform an authorization check tying the requesting user to the activation_id referenced in inbound Worker messages, so any forged message with another tenant's activation_id is honored and the controller responds with that activation's secret bundle (OAuth tokens, Ansible Vault passwords, SSH private keys). CPE data confirms Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, 2.5, and 2.6 are affected.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Network-reachable websocket exploitable by any authenticated user (PR:L), no UI; leaks secrets that unlock other systems (S:C, C:H, I:H), no availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).
CVSS VectorVendor: redhat
DescriptionCVE.org
A missing authorization vulnerability was found in the Event-Driven Ansible (EDA) websocket API. The /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook endpoint does not verify user permissions when processing Worker messages. Any authenticated user can send a forged message with an arbitrary activation_id to receive plaintext credentials associated with that activation, including OAuth tokens, vault passwords, and SSH keys.
Articles & Coverage 1
Executive ViewAI
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform versions 2.5 and 2.6 contain a critical credential disclosure vulnerability (CVSS 9.6) affecting OAuth tokens, vault passwords, and SSH keys. Any authenticated user can retrieve plaintext credentials across tenant boundaries by exploiting permission validation gaps in the Event-Driven Ansible websocket endpoint, enabling lateral movement and infrastructure compromise. Organizations operating affected versions face immediate risk of authenticated insider threat elevation and multi-tenant credential exposure.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: (1) Restrict network access to /api/eda/ws/ansible-rulebook endpoint to authorized operators only via firewall/WAF; (2) Disable Event-Driven Ansible if operationally feasible; (3) Implement application-layer validation to verify Worker message authenticity and enforce activation_id permission checks; (4) Enable enhanced audit logging on websocket connections and credential retrieval attempts; (5) Immediately rotate all managed credentials and review access logs for exploitation indicators.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
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Exploit-DB