use `failed_when:false` for Ansible `register:` checks #11782

comps · 2024-04-02T18:33:56Z

Description:

Using ignore_errors leads to user-visible fatal errors produced by ansible-playbook:

TASK [Enable FIPS Mode - Check to See the Current Status of FIPS Mode] *********
fatal: [192.168.122.178]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "cmd": ["/usr/bin/fips-mode-setup", "--check"] ...

These are indistinguishable from actually terminating fatal errors (to a log-reading script) that need to be investigated.

Using failed_when avoids those, while still registering the output for use by other checks, as done by many other checks:

$ grep -i 'failed_when: false' -r linux_os/ | wc -l
25

$ grep -i 'failed_when: false' -r linux_os/ 
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/audit_privileged_commands/audit_rules_privileged_commands/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_permissions_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_permissions_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_permissions_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_permissions_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_permissions_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_group_ownership_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_group_ownership_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/file_group_ownership_var_log_audit/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/auditing/auditd_configure_rules/audit_rules_suid_auid_privilege_function/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/permissions/restrictions/enable_execshield_settings/sysctl_kernel_exec_shield/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/permissions/files/permissions_within_important_dirs/file_ownership_binary_dirs/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/permissions/files/permissions_within_important_dirs/file_permissions_binary_dirs/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: Fals
linux_os/guide/system/permissions/files/permissions_within_important_dirs/file_groupownership_system_commands_dirs/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/permissions/files/permissions_within_important_dirs/file_permissions_system_commands_dirs/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/permissions/files/dir_system_commands_group_root_owned/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/accounts/accounts-session/root_paths/accounts_root_path_dirs_no_write/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/accounts/enable_authselect/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/accounts/enable_authselect/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/system/software/integrity/fips/grub2_enable_fips_mode/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/software/integrity/fips/grub2_enable_fips_mode/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/system/network/network-nftables/set_nftables_base_chain/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: false
linux_os/guide/services/ssh/file_permissions_sshd_private_key/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False
linux_os/guide/services/ssh/file_permissions_sshd_private_key/ansible/shared.yml:  failed_when: False

Review Hints:

Double-check that this is sane, please. I'm not an Ansible expert, so I don't know if this may have side-effects, but I did some preliminary testing and it seems to be working as intended.

Using ignore_errors leads to user-visible fatal errors produced by ansible-playbook: TASK [Enable FIPS Mode - Check to See the Current Status of FIPS Mode] ********* fatal: [192.168.122.178]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "cmd": ["/usr/bin/fips-mode-setup", "--check"] ... These are indistinguishable from actually terminating fatal errors (to a log-reading script) that need to be investigated. Using failed_when avoids those, while still registering the output for use by other checks, as done by many other checks: $ grep -i 'failed_when: false' -r linux_os/ | wc -l 25 Signed-off-by: Jiri Jaburek <comps@nomail.dom>

github-actions · 2024-04-02T18:35:25Z

Start a new ephemeral environment with changes proposed in this pull request:

rhel8 (from CTF) Environment (using Fedora as testing environment)

Fedora Testing Environment

Oracle Linux 8 Environment

github-actions · 2024-04-02T18:38:34Z

This datastream diff is auto generated by the check Compare DS/Generate Diff

Click here to see the full diff

ansible remediation for rule 'xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_enable_fips_mode' differs.
--- xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_enable_fips_mode
+++ xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_enable_fips_mode
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 - name: Enable FIPS Mode - Check to See the Current Status of FIPS Mode
   ansible.builtin.command: /usr/bin/fips-mode-setup --check
   register: is_fips_enabled
-  ignore_errors: true
+  failed_when: false
   changed_when: false
   when:
   - ( ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]

ansible remediation for rule 'xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_accounts_passwords_pam_faillock_dir' differs.
--- xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_accounts_passwords_pam_faillock_dir
+++ xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_accounts_passwords_pam_faillock_dir
@@ -697,7 +697,7 @@
     cmd: semanage fcontext -a -t faillog_t "{{ var_accounts_passwords_pam_faillock_dir
       }}(/.*)?"
   register: result_accounts_passwords_pam_faillock_dir_semanage
-  ignore_errors: true
+  failed_when: false
   changed_when:
   - result_accounts_passwords_pam_faillock_dir_semanage.rc == 0
   when: '"pam" in ansible_facts.packages'

ansible remediation for rule 'xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_enable_smartcards' differs.
--- xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_enable_smartcards
+++ xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_enable_smartcards
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 - name: Test for domain group
   command: grep '^\s*\[domain\/[^]]*]' /etc/sssd/sssd.conf
   register: test_grep_domain
-  ignore_errors: true
+  failed_when: false
   changed_when: false
   check_mode: false
   when:

ansible remediation for rule 'xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_memcache_timeout' differs.
--- xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_memcache_timeout
+++ xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_memcache_timeout
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 - name: Test for domain group
   command: grep '\s*\[domain\/[^]]*]' /etc/sssd/sssd.conf
   register: test_grep_domain
-  ignore_errors: true
+  failed_when: false
   changed_when: false
   check_mode: false
   when:

ansible remediation for rule 'xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_offline_cred_expiration' differs.
--- xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_offline_cred_expiration
+++ xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_offline_cred_expiration
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 - name: Test for domain group
   command: grep '\s*\[domain\/[^]]*]' /etc/sssd/sssd.conf
   register: test_grep_domain
-  ignore_errors: true
+  failed_when: false
   changed_when: false
   check_mode: false
   when:

ansible remediation for rule 'xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_ssh_known_hosts_timeout' differs.
--- xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_ssh_known_hosts_timeout
+++ xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sssd_ssh_known_hosts_timeout
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 - name: Test for domain group
   command: grep '\s*\[domain\/[^]]*]' /etc/sssd/sssd.conf
   register: test_grep_domain
-  ignore_errors: true
+  failed_when: false
   changed_when: false
   check_mode: false
   when:

github-actions · 2024-04-02T18:39:49Z

🤖 A k8s content image for this PR is available at:
ghcr.io/complianceascode/k8scontent:11782
This image was built from commit: 40fdde4

Click here to see how to deploy it

If you alread have Compliance Operator deployed:
utils/build_ds_container.py -i ghcr.io/complianceascode/k8scontent:11782

Otherwise deploy the content and operator together by checking out ComplianceAsCode/compliance-operator and:
CONTENT_IMAGE=ghcr.io/complianceascode/k8scontent:11782 make deploy-local

codeclimate · 2024-04-02T18:50:02Z

Code Climate has analyzed commit 40fdde4 and detected 0 issues on this pull request.

The test coverage on the diff in this pull request is 100.0% (50% is the threshold).

This pull request will bring the total coverage in the repository to 59.3% (0.0% change).

View more on Code Climate.

jan-cerny

It makes sense to me.

We use failed_when more often than ignore_errors.

There is an informed person who advertises failed_when.
https://medium.com/@sbarnea/why-ansible-ignore-errors-is-evil-500fb6e81229
https://www.reddit.com/r/ansible/comments/j3rtwt/beware_of_illusive_ansible_ignore_errors_when/

jan-cerny · 2024-04-03T09:51:26Z

/retest

comps mentioned this pull request Apr 3, 2024

report any ansible-playbook fatal errors RHSecurityCompliance/contest#136

Merged

jan-cerny self-assigned this Apr 3, 2024

jan-cerny added this to the 0.1.73 milestone Apr 3, 2024

jan-cerny approved these changes Apr 3, 2024

View reviewed changes

jan-cerny merged commit 18608b6 into ComplianceAsCode:master Apr 3, 2024
44 of 45 checks passed

Mab879 added the Ansible Ansible remediation update. label May 16, 2024

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use `failed_when:false` for Ansible `register:` checks #11782

use `failed_when:false` for Ansible `register:` checks #11782

comps commented Apr 2, 2024

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github-actions bot commented Apr 2, 2024

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jan-cerny commented Apr 3, 2024

use failed_when:false for Ansible register: checks #11782

use failed_when:false for Ansible register: checks #11782

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comps commented Apr 2, 2024

Description:

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jan-cerny commented Apr 3, 2024

use `failed_when:false` for Ansible `register:` checks #11782

use `failed_when:false` for Ansible `register:` checks #11782