An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2.
An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2. The salt-master process ClearFuncs class does not properly validate method calls. This allows a remote user to access some methods without authentication. These methods can be used to retrieve user tokens from the salt master and/or run arbitrary commands on salt minions.
- BDU:2020-03941
- GHSA-pjhf-vpx3-33r3
- DLA-2223-1
- DSA-4676-1
- DSA-4676-2
- openSUSE-SU-2020:0564-1
- openSUSE-SU-2020:1074-1
- openSUSE-SU-2021:0899-1
- openSUSE-SU-2021:2106-1
- PYSEC-2020-102
- SUSE-SU-2020:1147-1
- SUSE-SU-2020:1150-1
- SUSE-SU-2020:1151-1
- SUSE-SU-2020:1392-1
- SUSE-SU-2020:1971-1
- SUSE-SU-2020:1973-1
- SUSE-SU-2020:1974-1
- SUSE-SU-2021:2105-1
- SUSE-SU-2021:2106-1
- Published
- Apr 30, 2020
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 96.6% · 100th percentile
- CWE
- —
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Report tools
Action score
98
Now
Patch today or shut off access.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 30 / 30 · Listed
- EPSS
- 29 / 30 · 96.6%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- active
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Actively exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Nov 3, 2021. That signals real attacks, not theory.
Remediation deadline for government agencies: May 3, 2022.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| saltstack | salt | cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt |
| opensuse | leap | cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
| canonical | ubuntu linux | cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux |
| vmware | application remote collector | cpe:2.3:a:vmware:application_remote_collector |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- canonical ubuntu linux16.04
- canonical ubuntu linux18.04
- debian debian linux10.0
- debian debian linux8.0
- debian debian linux9.0
- opensuse leap15.1
- saltstack saltbefore 2019.2.4
- saltstack salt3000 and later · before 3000.2
- vmware application remote collector7.5.0
- vmware application remote collector8.0.0
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:10 | salt | before 2018.3.4+dfsg1-6+deb10u1 | 2018.3.4+dfsg1-6+deb10u1 |
| Debian:8 | salt | before 2014.1.13+ds-3+deb8u1 | 2014.1.13+ds-3+deb8u1 |
| Debian:9 | salt | before 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u4 | 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u4 |
| Debian:9 | salt | before 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u3 | 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u3 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.1 | salt | before 3000-lp151.5.21.1 | 3000-lp151.5.21.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.1 | salt | before 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1 | 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | salt | before 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1 | 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | python-distro | before 1.5.0-3.5.1 | 1.5.0-3.5.1 |
| PyPI | salt | from 3000 · before 3000.2 | 3000.2 |
| PyPI | salt | from 3000 · before 3000.2 | 3000.2 |
| PyPI | salt | before 2019.2.4 | 2019.2.4 |
| PyPI | salt | before 2019.2.4 | 2019.2.4 |
| SUSE:Enterprise Storage 5 | salt | before 2016.11.4-48.10.1 | 2016.11.4-48.10.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | salt | before 3002.2-37.1 | 3002.2-37.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-ESPOS | salt | before 3000-5.78.1 | 3000-5.78.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-ESPOS | salt | before 2019.2.0-5.67.1 | 2019.2.0-5.67.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | salt | before 2019.2.0-6.27.1 | 2019.2.0-6.27.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP1 | salt | before 3000-6.37.1 | 3000-6.37.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | python-distro | before 1.5.0-3.5.1 | 1.5.0-3.5.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Client Tools 12 | python-singledispatch | before 3.4.0.3-1.5.1 | 3.4.0.3-1.5.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Client Tools 12 | salt | before 3000-46.101.1 | 3000-46.101.1 |
| SUSE:Manager Client Tools 12 | salt | before 2019.2.0-46.91.1 | 2019.2.0-46.91.1 |
Same product
saltstack: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2020-16846An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt through 3002.KEV99Now
- CVE-2020-11652An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2.KEV82Now
- CVE-2021-25282An issue was discovered in through SaltStack Salt before 3002.5.64This week
- CVE-2021-3197An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 3002.5.61This week
- CVE-2021-25281An issue was discovered in through SaltStack Salt before 3002.5.61This week
- CVE-2020-25592In SaltStack Salt through 3002, salt-netapi improperly validates eauth credentials and tokens.56Plan
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Debian:salt | 2014.1.13+ds-3+deb8u1 · Debian:8 | Package registry (OSV) |
| openSUSE:python-distro | 1.5.0-3.5.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | Package registry (OSV) |
| openSUSE:salt | 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| PyPI:salt | 2019.2.4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| PyPI:salt | 3000.2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| SUSE:python-distro | 1.5.0-3.5.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| SUSE:python-singledispatch | 3.4.0.3-1.5.1 · SUSE:Manager Client Tools 12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| SUSE:salt | 2019.2.0-46.91.1 · SUSE:Manager Client Tools 12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Metasploit module ×2
- Exploit-DB entry ×1
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×14
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | remote | 2020-05-05 |
| Metasploit module | auxiliary/gather/saltstack_salt_root_keySaltStack Salt Master Server Root Key Disclosureauxiliary | 2020-04-30 |
| Metasploit module | exploit/linux/misc/saltstack_salt_unauth_rceSaltStack Salt Master/Minion Unauthenticated RCEexploit | 2020-04-30 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:6 | 2020-05-01 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:108 | 2020-05-01 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:106 | 2020-05-04 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:40 | 2020-05-04 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:121 | 2020-05-04 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:5 | 2020-05-04 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:6 | 2020-05-04 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:5 | 2020-05-07 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:24 | 2020-05-07 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Metasploit-1 d
- Published
- First PoCsame day
- CISA KEV+551 d
- TodaySep 29, 2026+2343 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
—
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00047.html
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00070.html
- www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0009.html
- docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2019.2.4.html
- github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/v3000.2_docs/doc/topics/releases/3000.2.rst
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/05/msg00027.html
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-salt-2vx545AG
- usn.ubuntu.com/4459-1/
- www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4676
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11651
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.