#VU27494 Improper Authentication in Salt - CVE-2020-11651

Vulnerability identifier: #VU27494

Vulnerability risk: Critical

CVSSv4.0: 9.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Red]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-11651

CWE-ID: CWE-287

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
Salt
Web applications / Remote management & hosting panels

Vendor: SaltStack

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to bypass authentication process.

The vulnerability exists due to the salt-master process "ClearFuncs" class does not properly validate method calls. A remote non-authenticated attacker can bypass authentication process and gain 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 minion as root.

Note: this vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Salt: 2019.2 - 2019.2.3, 3000 - 3000.1

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External links
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00047.html
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2019.2.4.html
https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/v3000.2_docs/doc/topics/releases/3000.2.rst
https://labs.f-secure.com/advisories/saltstack-authorization-bypass

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.