Known exploited · SaltStack

CVE-2020-11651: SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

What it is

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.

Added November 3, 2021Due May 3, 2022CISA KEV catalog 2026.10.01

Vendor
SaltStack
Product
Salt
Added to KEV
November 3, 2021
CISA due date
May 3, 2022
Ransomware use
Unknown
Weakness
Not mapped by CISA

What CISA requires

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Forensic triage

No

What to do now

  1. Find every instance of Salt you run, including the forgotten ones, and check its version against the vendor advisory.
  2. Apply the vendor's fix or mitigation, before May 3, 2022 if you are bound by CISA's deadline, sooner if it faces the internet.
  3. Assume it was tried against you already: look for signs of exploitation from the date it was added, not from the day you patched.

References

CVE-2020-11651 in the National Vulnerability Database

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Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (public domain), catalog version 2026.10.01.