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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2020-11651

SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Published Apr 30, 2020 · catalog updated Jun 16, 2026 · SaltStack Salt

Patch now

CVE-2020-11651 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due May 3, 2022. Confirm SaltStack Salt against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Severity
Critical9.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
96.61%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe canonical/ubuntu linux · cpe debian/debian linux · cpe opensuse/leap · cpe saltstack/salt · cpe vmware/application remote collector · vendor SaltStack Salt

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. Initial-access exploit intelligence.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe canonical/ubuntu linux16.04
  • cpe canonical/ubuntu linux18.04
  • cpe debian/debian linux10.0
  • cpe debian/debian linux8.0
  • cpe debian/debian linux9.0
  • cpe opensuse/leap15.1
  • cpe saltstack/saltversion unspecified
  • cpe vmware/application remote collector7.5.0
  • vendor SaltStack Saltversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2020-11651

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2020-11651 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due May 3, 2022. Confirm SaltStack Salt against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with canonical/ubuntu linux 16.04; canonical/ubuntu linux 18.04; debian/debian linux 10.0; debian/debian linux 8.0. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

No weakness class is stored. EPSS 96.61%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. A public exploit reference is linked in Sources. That is not the same as confirmed exploitation. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Apr 30, 2020 · Catalog

    Detected

    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 bes

  2. Nov 3, 2021 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. May 3, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Jun 16, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    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 bes

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-11651

    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 bes

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2020-11651

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2020-11651

    30-day exploitation probability 96.6%

    first.org
  • Exploit DatabasePublic exploit reference48421

    Public archive entry. The exploit body is not stored here.

    exploit-db.com
  • Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleauxiliary_gather/saltstack_salt_root_key

    Public module reference (normal). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

    rapid7.com
  • Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleexploit_linux/misc/saltstack_salt_unauth_rce

    Public module reference (great). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

    rapid7.com
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2020-11651

    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

    nvd.nist.gov
  • Packet Storm SecurityCited referencehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157560/Saltstack-3000.1-Remote-Code-Execution.html

    Packet Storm link already published on the finding.

    packetstormsecurity.com
  • Packet Storm SecurityCited referencehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157678/SaltStack-Salt-Master-Minion-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.html

    Packet Storm link already published on the finding.

    packetstormsecurity.com
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-11651

    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

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.