CVE-2020-11651

Name: CVE-2020-11651
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-04-30T17:15:12.143+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10Actively ExploitedEPSS 96.41%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-11651 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. 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. CISA has confirmed active exploitation in the wild. EPSS estimates a 96.41% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

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 tokens from the salt master and/or run arbitrary commands on salt minions.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

96.41%

99.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Exploitation Status

This vulnerability is listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies must remediate by May 3, 2022.

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Saltstack	Salt	< 2019.2.4
Saltstack	Salt	>= 3000, < 3000.2
Opensuse	Leap	15.1
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Vmware	Application Remote Collector	7.5.0
Vmware	Application Remote Collector	8.0.0

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00047.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00070.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157560/Saltstack-3000.1-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157678/SaltStack-Salt-Master-Minion-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0009.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2019.2.4.htmlVendor Advisory
https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/v3000.2_docs/doc/topics/releases/3000.2.rstThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/05/msg00027.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-salt-2vx545AGThird Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4459-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4676Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00047.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00070.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157560/Saltstack-3000.1-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157678/SaltStack-Salt-Master-Minion-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0009.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2019.2.4.htmlVendor Advisory
https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/v3000.2_docs/doc/topics/releases/3000.2.rstThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/05/msg00027.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-salt-2vx545AGThird Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4459-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4676Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11651US Government Resource

Timeline

Published: Apr 30, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11651?

How severe is CVE-2020-11651?

CVE-2020-11651 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 96.41% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

How do I fix CVE-2020-11651?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-11651?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST