# CVE-2026-16493: Ansible-core: argument injection in ansible-galaxy collection install via git clone (incomplete fix for cve-2026-11332)

CVE-2026-16493 is fixed in 3 products on 1 platform, first by DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16493, released July 22, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16493
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.8 (Important)
- EPSS: 0.0027
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Jul 21, 2026
- Weakness: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
- Vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16493

## Description

A flaw was found in ansible-core. The _extract_collection_from_git() function in ansible-core's concrete_artifact_manager.py constructs git clone commands without a '--' (end-of-options) separator before user-supplied URLs when installing collections from git sources. An attacker who provides a crafted collection source URI containing git argument injection payloads can achieve arbitrary command execution when a user runs 'ansible-galaxy collection install' with the malicious source. This is an incomplete fix for CVE-2026-11332, which hardened the role install path but missed the equivalent collection install code path.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | ansible Debian 12.15 (bookworm) | 5.4.0-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16493](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-16493.md) | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 5.4.0-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16493](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-16493.md) | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible Debian 14 | 5.4.0-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-16493](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-16493.md) | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-core amzn 2023 | 2.15.3-1.amzn2023.0.13 | [ALAS2023-2026-2036](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-2036.md) | Aug 3, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-core opensuse-leap 16.0 | 2.18.3-160000.4.1 | [OPENSUSE-SU-2026:21828-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/opensuse-su-2026-21828-1.md) | Sep 10, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-core sles 15.6 | 2.18.3-150400.9.17.1 | [SUSE-SU-2026:4154-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/suse-su-2026-4154-1.md) | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-core sles 15.7 | 2.18.3-150400.9.17.1 | [SUSE-SU-2026:4154-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/suse-su-2026-4154-1.md) | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-core sles 16.0 | 2.18.3-160000.4.1 | [SUSE-SU-2026:23724-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/suse-su-2026-23724-1.md) | Sep 10, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-test amzn 2023 | 2.15.3-1.amzn2023.0.13 | [ALAS2023-2026-2036](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-2036.md) | Aug 3, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T07:25:28Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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