# CVE-2026-84718: Automation-controller: automation-controller: client ip spoofing in audit/access logs via unrestricted x-forwarded-for trust

Status: published. Published: 2026-09-23. Updated: 2026-11-06.

A flaw was found in the Ansible Automation Platform automation-controller. In the shipped
production configuration, the Controller trusts the client-supplied X-Forwarded-For header as
the request's client IP without verifying that it originated from a trusted proxy, and selects
the leftmost (attacker-controlled) header value. As a result, an attacker can forge the source
IP address recorded for their requests in the Controller's audit and access logs, degrading
the integrity of forensic and SIEM attribution. The flaw does not grant additional access.

## Remediation

- workaround: Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability. Note that merely populating PROXY_IP_ALLOWED_LIST does not fully resolve the issue in the shipped Envoy-fronted deployment, because the leftmost (attacker-controlled) X-Forwarded-For entry is still selected as the client IP, and the trusted-proxy shared-secret mechanism (a valid HTTP_X_TRUSTED_PROXY header), which makes Controller prefer the trusted rightmost X-Forwarded-For entry, is not enabled by default. Updated automation-controller packages that address this flaw are available for the Ansible Automation Platform 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7 update streams; the Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 stream will not receive a fix for this issue. (source: CNA: redhat)

## Affected products and versions

- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.6.33-1.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.6.33-1.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.7.17-1.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 (ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9): ≥ 1789673739; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7 (ansible-automation-platform-27/controller-rhel9): ≥ 1789580684; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 3.1: 4.3 (medium); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N; source: CNA: redhat

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.14% as of 2026-11-05; percentile 3.05%

- SSVC: exploitation none; automatable no; technical impact partial; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: CWE-348

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71113 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71114 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71177 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:71179 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-84718 (CNA: redhat; vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2527211 (CNA: redhat; issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT)

## Provenance

- CNA: redhat: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-84718; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated 2026-11-06

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-84718; retrieved 2026-11-06; source updated Not reported

Revision: c24aed02d8696f4515831d7fe95f5bf991b87b456eab853cfa41c7909af4694c

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-84718

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