CVE-2026-126643Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 cleartext storage of sensitive data
CVE-2026-126643 is a cleartext storage of sensitive data in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, rated medium (6.5 on CVSS 3.1).
Why this priority: Medium severity, with no exploitation signal.
Published · Updated · NVD status: Awaiting Analysis
What it is
Sensitive data is stored unencrypted where others can read it.
How it is reached
An attacker can exploit it over the network, with an ordinary user account, and nobody has to click anything.
What an attacker gains
A successful attack can read the data it protects. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker sign in with credentials the vendor shipped or stored unprotected.
Is it being exploited?
There is no public report of exploitation yet.
What to do
- No fixed version is listed yet. Find every place Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 runs, watch the references for a fix, and plan a replacement if it is no longer supported.
- While there is no fix, review who holds accounts that can reach it.
Description from NVD
A cleartext storage flaw was found in the AAP Gateway Operator. When reconciling an AutomationController, the operator reads the protected resource-server Secret (Secret/<aap-name>-resource-server, key controller_resource_server_secret) and copies its plaintext value into the generated AutomationController custom resource under spec.extra_settings (RESOURCE_SERVER.SECRET_KEY). Although the operator uses no_log to keep the value out of its own logs, serializing it into the custom resource exposes it to any principal able to read the AutomationController CR without permission to read the backing Kubernetes Secret, breaking the expected OpenShift RBAC separation between the two resources. The value may also propagate into Kubernetes API/etcd storage, GitOps and Argo diffs and history, rendered manifests, support bundles, and audit data. The resource-server secret is intended for trusted Gateway-to-Controller service authentication, and its disclosure may allow a user to impersonate a trusted Controller service and reach privileged service-index APIs.
What this means for your architecture.
A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.
Components it touches
- Credentials kept in code, configuration, images or firmware. The flaw sits between a stored secret and anyone who can read where it is kept.
Trust boundaries in play
- Authenticated network access. An account is needed, so exposure follows who can sign in: customers, partners or staff.
- Between a stored secret and anyone who can read where it is kept. An attacker who crosses it can sign in with credentials the vendor shipped or stored unprotected.
Questions to answer about your own systems
- Where does Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 run in your systems, and at which version?
- Which of those instances can be reached from the internet or partner networks?
- What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?
Read more
Issue reports
More reading
Sources
- CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
- Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
- Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.