How to remediate – Ansible AWX WebUI Detection

1. Introduction

Ansible AWX is an IT automation application running on remote hosts. It allows teams to automate complex tasks and workflows. A publicly accessible web interface provides a management point for these automations, which can be subject to attack if not properly secured. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to the system and potentially compromise of automated processes. This vulnerability has a likely impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

2. Technical Explanation

Ansible AWX provides a web interface for managing automation tasks. The default configuration may expose this interface without sufficient authentication or authorization controls. An attacker could potentially gain access to the AWX web UI and execute arbitrary commands on the remote host. There is no known CVE associated with this specific detection, but it represents a common misconfiguration risk.

• Root cause: The Ansible AWX WebUI may be accessible without proper authentication or authorization.
• Exploit mechanism: An attacker could access the web UI directly and attempt to leverage default credentials or known vulnerabilities in the application itself.
• Scope: This affects systems running Ansible AWX with a publicly exposed web interface.

3. Detection and Assessment

Confirming whether a system is vulnerable involves checking for an accessible AWX WebUI. A quick check can determine if the service is reachable, while thorough assessment requires verifying authentication mechanisms.

• Quick checks: Use `nmap` to scan for port 80 or 443 and attempt to access the web interface in a browser.
• Scanning: Nessus plugin ID 16279 can detect exposed Ansible AWX instances. This is an example only, as scanner coverage varies.
• Logs and evidence: Check web server logs for requests to the AWX WebUI path (typically `/` or similar).

nmap -p 80,443 <target_ip>

4. Solution / Remediation Steps

Fixing this issue requires securing access to the Ansible AWX WebUI. This involves implementing strong authentication and authorization controls.

4.1 Preparation

• Ensure you have valid credentials for accessing the system. A roll back plan is to restore from the snapshot.
• Changes should be approved by the IT security team.

4.2 Implementation

1. Step 1: Configure strong authentication for the Ansible AWX WebUI, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA).
2. Step 2: Restrict access to the web UI using a firewall or network ACLs, allowing only authorized IP addresses.
3. Step 3: Review and update default credentials if they have not been changed.

4.3 Config or Code Example

Before

# Default configuration with no authentication restrictions

After

# Configuration enabling strong authentication (example using LDAP)
auth:
  type: ldap
  ...

4.4 Security Practices Relevant to This Vulnerability

Several security practices directly address this vulnerability type.

• Practice 1: Least privilege – restrict access to the AWX WebUI to only authorized users and systems.
• Practice 2: Strong authentication – enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users accessing the web UI.

4.5 Automation (Optional)

# Example Ansible playbook snippet to configure firewall rules
- name: Restrict access to AWX WebUI
  firewalld:
    zone: public
    rule: add
    port: 80/tcp
    source: <authorized_ip_address>
    permanent: true
    state: enabled

5. Verification / Validation

Confirming the fix involves verifying that strong authentication is enforced and access is restricted.

• Post-fix check: Attempt to access the AWX WebUI without valid credentials; you should be prompted for authentication.
• Re-test: Re-run the `nmap` scan from step 3, confirming that port 80 or 443 is accessible but requires authentication.
• Smoke test: Log in with a valid user account and verify access to core AWX functionality.
• Monitoring: Monitor web server logs for failed login attempts and unauthorized access attempts. This is an example only, as logging configuration varies.

nmap -p 80,443 <target_ip>

6. Preventive Measures and Monitoring

Suggest only measures that are relevant to the vulnerability type.

• Baselines: Update security baselines or policies to require strong authentication for all web applications, including Ansible AWX.
• Pipelines: Add checks in CI/CD pipelines to ensure that default credentials are not committed to source control and that firewall rules are correctly configured.
• Asset and patch process: Implement a regular review cycle for security configurations and patches.

7. Risks, Side Effects, and Roll Back

List known risks or service impacts from the change.

• Risk or side effect 2: Changes to authentication mechanisms may require updates to client configurations; communicate changes clearly.
• Roll back: Restore from the system snapshot taken in step 1.

8. References and Resources

Link only to sources that match this exact vulnerability.

• Vendor advisory or bulletin: https://www.ansible.com/products/awx-project
• NVD or CVE entry: Not applicable for this specific detection.
• Product or platform documentation relevant to the fix: https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/awx_configuration.html