PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2026-44189 Red Hat CVE debrief

A high-severity command injection vulnerability was found in the Visual Studio Code Ansible Lightspeed extension. The flaw exists in the AnsiblePlaybookRunProvider, allowing an attacker to craft a malicious playbook filename with special characters. These characters are not properly sanitized when a victim runs the playbook, leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running VS Code. This could result in a full system compromise, including sensitive data exfiltration, project file modification, and permanent data loss. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.8 and is classified as HIGH severity.

Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2
CVSS
HIGH 7.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-07-22
Original CVE updated
2026-07-22
Advisory published
2026-07-22
Advisory updated
2026-07-22

Who should care

Users of the Visual Studio Code Ansible Lightspeed extension should be aware of this high-severity vulnerability. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain control of the system, potentially leading to a full system compromise. Operators, platform administrators, vulnerability management teams, and security teams should prioritize patching and mitigation efforts.

Technical summary

The Visual Studio Code Ansible Lightspeed extension contains a command injection vulnerability in the AnsiblePlaybookRunProvider. An attacker can craft a malicious playbook filename with special characters that are not properly sanitized when executed, allowing for arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running VS Code. This vulnerability could result in a full system compromise, including sensitive data exfiltration, project file modification, and permanent data loss. Users should be cautious when running playbooks with filenames containing special characters.

Defensive priority

High

Recommended defensive actions

  • Immediately update the Visual Studio Code Ansible Lightspeed extension to the latest version.
  • Restrict access to sensitive playbooks and limit user privileges.
  • Implement input validation and sanitization for playbook filenames.
  • Monitor for suspicious activity and implement logging and auditing.
  • Consider using compensating controls such as Web Application Firewalls.
  • Review relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review.
  • Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented.

Evidence notes

The CVE record was published on 2026-07-22T12:17:59.817Z and has not been modified since then. The NVD entry is currently Awaiting Analysis. There is limited information available about the vulnerability, and defenders should verify the affected scope and severity with the vendor. The Visual Studio Code Ansible Lightspeed extension's AnsiblePlaybookRunProvider is vulnerable to command injection, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running VS Code.

Official resources

AI-assisted PatchSiren debrief based on the supplied source corpus. The CVE record was published on 2026-07-22T12:17:59.817Z and has not been modified since then.