high · CVSS 8.7

CVE-2026-84691

Automation-controller: automation-controller-container: automation-controller: format string injection in the api 4xx error log setting discloses django secret_key and database cre

Published 23 Sept 2026 · Source updated 4 Nov 2026 · Retrieved 2026-11-06 15:41 UTC

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What happened?

A flaw was found in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform's automation- controller. The setting that formats the log message emitted for API 4XX errors is an administrator-controlled Python format-string template that is rendered with a live user object as an argument. Because Python string formatting permits attribute and item traversal on its arguments, an administrator can craft a template that walks from the user object into the application settings and reads the Django secret key and the database password. The formatted message is written to a logger that can be forwarded to an external log aggregator, whose destination is also administrator-controlled, allowing the secrets to be sent off the host. An authenticated administrator can thereby obtain the master encryption key used to protect all stored credentials and the database service password, enabling offline decryption of every stored credential, forgery of user sessions, and direct access to the controller database.

Description supplied by CVE Program. Formatting is simplified; follow the original advisory for full details.

Affected software and versions

Source-provided software and version information
Software	Version information	Fixed version
automation-controllerRed Hat	unaffected: 0:4.6.33-1.el8ap to < *	See vendor advisory
automation-controllerRed Hat	unaffected: 0:4.6.33-1.el8ap to < *	See vendor advisory
automation-controllerRed Hat	unaffected: 0:4.6.33-1.el9ap to < *	See vendor advisory
automation-controllerRed Hat	unaffected: 0:4.6.33-1.el9ap to < *	See vendor advisory
automation-controllerRed Hat	unaffected: 0:4.7.17-1.el9ap to < *	See vendor advisory
automation-controllerRed Hat	unaffected: 0:4.7.17-1.el9ap to < *	See vendor advisory
ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9Red Hat	unaffected: 1789673739 to < *	See vendor advisory
ansible-automation-platform-27/controller-rhel9Red Hat	unaffected: 1789580684 to < *	See vendor advisory

Version information comes from the source record and can include unaffected products and exceptions. Distribution packages may contain backported fixes: an older upstream version alone does not prove a server is affected.

Is it being exploited?

This CVE was not listed in the CISA catalogue at our last retrieval. This does not establish that exploitation is absent.

CISA data retrieved 2026-11-06 16:38 UTC. Check CISA ↗

How to respond

Confirm the product, installed package version, and any configuration requirements in the vendor advisory.
Follow the vendor’s remediation or workaround guidance in the references below. Structured fixed-version data is unavailable here; the publisher’s description may include a fix or workaround.
Restart affected services if required, then verify the running version. Known exploitation may warrant investigation as well as patching.

Sources and remediation references

This public advisory does not determine whether a particular server is affected. Records are refreshed as sources change; verify urgent decisions against the original advisory.

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