{"description":"Trending threats, MITRE ATT\u0026CK coverage, and detection metadata. Fed continuously.","favicon":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/favicon-32x32.png","feed_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/products/ansible_jailexec/feed.json","home_page_url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/","icon":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/apple-touch-icon.png","items":[{"_cs_actors":[],"_cs_cpes":[],"_cs_cves":[],"_cs_exploited":false,"_cs_has_poc":false,"_cs_poc_references":[],"_cs_products":["ansible_jailexec"],"_cs_severities":["high"],"_cs_tags":[],"_cs_type":"advisory","_cs_vendors":["Ansible"],"content_html":"\u003cp\u003eThe ansible_jailexec connection plugin (versions prior to 2.0.0) is susceptible to a critical jail escape vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-55074. The plugin's 'put_file' operation, intended for transferring files into a managed jail, incorrectly resolves destination paths by concatenating the jail root with the target path and executing 'mkdir' and 'mv' commands on the host filesystem with root privileges. Because these host-side commands follow symbolic links, an attacker who controls content within the jail can place a symbolic link at or above a target path. When an Ansible task subsequently executes a file transfer, the host-side process follows this symlink, leading to an arbitrary write outside the jail's chroot. An attacker can leverage this primitive to overwrite sensitive host files, such as 'authorized_keys' or 'cron' jobs, effectively escaping the jail and gaining root-level control over the host.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"attack-chain\"\u003eAttack Chain\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker gains initial access or control over a subdirectory within a FreeBSD jail managed by the vulnerable 'ansible_jailexec' plugin.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker identifies or predicts a forthcoming Ansible task (e.g., 'copy', 'template', or 'fetch') targeting a specific location within the jail.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker creates a malicious symbolic link at the target location, pointing to a sensitive file on the host filesystem (e.g., '/etc/passwd' or '/root/.ssh/authorized_keys').\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn operator initiates the legitimate Ansible task, which invokes the 'put_file' method of the 'ansible_jailexec' plugin.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Ansible host-side process runs 'mkdir' and 'mv' commands as root to finalize the file transfer.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe host-side commands resolve the attacker-controlled symlink and proceed to write or move content to the host's protected target location.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe attacker succeeds in overwriting critical host system files, completing the jail escape and achieving host-level code execution.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"impact\"\u003eImpact\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuccessful exploitation results in a full jail escape and host compromise. By overwriting configuration files or adding SSH keys, an attacker can obtain persistent root-level access to the underlying FreeBSD host. This vulnerability affects all environments utilizing 'ansible_jailexec' versions 1.3.0 and earlier to manage FreeBSD jails, with significant security implications for multi-tenant or delegated administration setups where jail isolation is a core security boundary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"recommendation\"\u003eRecommendation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrioritized actions for detection and remediation:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUpgrade 'ansible-jailexec' to version 2.0.0 or later immediately to resolve CVE-2026-55074.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAudit existing Ansible playbooks for 'copy', 'template', or 'fetch' tasks that interact with untrusted or multi-user jails.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonitor host-side logs for unexpected 'mkdir' or 'mv' process executions originating from the Ansible controller or the user running the Ansible automation.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReview filesystems mounted within jails for unauthorized symbolic links in directories frequently targeted by automation tasks.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","date_modified":"2026-08-13T04:48:33Z","date_published":"2026-08-13T04:48:33Z","id":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-08-ansible-jailexec-jail-escape/","summary":"The ansible_jailexec connection plugin performs file operations with host-side root privileges while following symlinks, allowing an attacker to escape a FreeBSD jail and gain root access on the host.","title":"Ansible jailexec Plugin Jail Escape via Symlink Following","url":"https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-08-ansible-jailexec-jail-escape/"}],"language":"en","title":"CraftedSignal Threat Feed - Ansible_jailexec","version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1"}