#VU50988 Security restrictions bypass in Salt - CVE-2020-28243

Vulnerability identifier: #VU50988

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 7.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-28243

CWE-ID: CWE-264

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

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

Vendor: SaltStack

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to application does not properly impose security restrictions, which leads to security restrictions bypass and privilege escalation. A remote user can create files in any non-blacklisted directory via a command injection in a process name.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Salt: 2016.3 - 2016.11.10, 2017.5 - 2017.7.8, 2018.2 - 2018.11, 2019.2 - 2019.8, 3000 - 3000.7, 3001 - 3001.5, 3002 - 3002.4

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External links
https://saltproject.io/security_announcements/active-saltstack-cve-release-2021-feb-25/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote authenticated user via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.