CVE-2020-16846
CRITICALCISA KEVEPSS 100th pctlDescription
An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt through 3002. Sending crafted web requests to the Salt API, with the SSH client enabled, can result in shell injection.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 100% of all known CVEs.
SaltStack Salt Shell Injection Vulnerability
SaltStack Salt allows an unauthenticated user with network access to the Salt API to use shell injections to run code on the Salt API using the SSH client. This vulnerability affects any users running the Salt API.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Remediation due: 2022-05-03
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00029.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160039/SaltStack-Salt-REST-API-Arbitrary-Command-Execution.html
- https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00007.html
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/01/msg00000.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TPOGB2F6XUAIGFDTOCQDNB2VIXFXHWMA/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-13
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4837
- https://www.saltstack.com/blog/on-november-3-2020-saltstack-publicly-disclosed-three-new-cves/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1379/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1380/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1381/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1382/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1383/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-16846
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Start freeThis product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-11-07.