#VU48206 Improper Authentication in Salt - CVE-2020-25592

Vulnerability identifier: #VU48206

Vulnerability risk: High

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:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-25592

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 an error when processing eauth credentials and tokens. A remote attacker can bypass authentication process and invoke Salt SSH.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability will result in complete system compromise.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Salt: 2014.1 - 2014.7.9, 2015.2 - 2015.8.13, 2016.3 - 2016.11.10, 2017.5 - 2017.7.8, 2018.2 - 2018.11, 2019.2 - 2019.8, 3000 - 3000.3, 3001 - 3001.1, 3002

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External links
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00029.html
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/index.html
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TPOGB2F6XUAIGFDTOCQDNB2VIXFXHWMA/
https://www.saltstack.com/blog/on-november-3-2020-saltstack-publicly-disclosed-three-new-cves/

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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?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.