CVE-2020-11651: SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Published Apr 30, 2020
·
Updated

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.

Other sources

SaltStack Salt contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the salt-master process ClearFuncs due to improperly validating method calls. The vulnerability allows a remote user to access some methods without authentication, which can be used to retrieve user tokens from the salt master and/or run commands on salt minions. Salt users who follow fundamental internet security guidelines and best practices are not affected by this vulnerability.

CISA

Affected Software

15 affected componentsFixes available
debian/salt<=2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u2, <=2014.1.13+ds-3, <=2018.3.4+dfsg1-6
3000.2+dfsg1-12016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u42018.3.4+dfsg1-6+deb10u12016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u3
debian/salt
pip/salt>=3000<3000.2
3000.2
pip/salt<2019.2.4
2019.2.4
SaltStack Salt
SaltStack Salt<2019.2.4
SaltStack Salt>=3000<3000.2
openSUSE Leap=15.1
Debian Debian Linux=8.0
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
VMware Application Remote Collector=7.5.0
VMware Application Remote Collector=8.0.0

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/salt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3000.2+dfsg1-1Fixed in 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u4Fixed in 2018.3.4+dfsg1-6+deb10u1Fixed in 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u3
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade pip/salt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3000.2
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade pip/salt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2019.2.4
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade SaltStack Salt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2019.2.4
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade SaltStack Salt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 3000.2
  6. Compensating control

    Restrict network access to the salt-master process (and its auth-bypass vulnerable endpoints such as ClearFuncs) so only trusted/authorized clients can reach it.

Event History

Apr 30, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·04:58 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·04:58 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·05:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Nov 3, 2021
Known Exploited
via CISA·12:00 AM
May 24, 2022
Advisory Published
via GitHub·05:16 PM
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·11:37 PM
Description
Aug 29, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·12:07 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-11651?

CVE-2020-11651 is a vulnerability found in SaltStack Salt that allows for an authentication bypass.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-11651?

CVE-2020-11651 has a severity rating of 9.8, which is considered critical.

3

How does CVE-2020-11651 affect SaltStack Salt?

CVE-2020-11651 affects the salt-master process ClearFuncs in SaltStack Salt.

4

How can a remote user exploit CVE-2020-11651?

A remote user can exploit CVE-2020-11651 to access some methods without authentication, potentially retrieving user tokens.

5

Are there any remedies available for CVE-2020-11651?

Remedies for CVE-2020-11651 are available in the affected software, such as SaltStack Salt versions 3000.2+dfsg1-1 and 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u4.

Contact

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