HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-16879
CRITICAL

CVE-2018-16879

CWE-311Published: January 3, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Ansible Tower before version 3.3.3 does not set a secure channel as it is using the default insecure configuration channel settings for messaging celery workers from RabbitMQ. This could lead in data leak of sensitive information such as passwords as well as denial of service attacks by deleting projects or inventory files.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-16879 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Red Hat1 product(s)
ansible tower
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106310
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16879
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106310
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16879

All References (4)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106310Broken Link · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16879Issue Tracking · Vendor Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106310Broken Link · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2018-16879Issue Tracking · Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-16879
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-311
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJan 3, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-311)

CVE-2019-6526
9.8
CVE-2018-17915
9.8
CVE-2017-9854
9.8
CVE-2019-3431
9.8
CVE-2020-35168
9.8
CVE-2019-11367
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-16879 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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