CVE-2020-11651: SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-e2d675df5fa1, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name
SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
Vendor
SaltStack
Product
Salt
Added to the catalog
2021-11-03
Due date for US federal agencies
2022-05-03
Catalog version
2026.10.30

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.

Required action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Ransomware use: CISA does not mark known use of this vulnerability in ransomware campaigns.

Links in CISA's notes

Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

NVD analysis

Status
Analyzed
Published
2020-04-30T17:15:12.143
Last modified
2026-06-17T02:50:33.323
Weaknesses
NVD-CWE-Other

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.

MetricScoreSeverityVectorScored by
CVSS 3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H[email protected] (Primary)
CVSS 3.19.8CRITICALCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary)
CVSS 2.07.5HIGHAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P[email protected] (Primary)

References

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:51.476Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2020-11651

CVE record

Assigner
mitre
State
PUBLISHED
Published
2020-04-30T16:58:09.000Z
Updated
2025-10-21T23:35:44.859Z
Problem types
n/a

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.

References

Read on 2026-11-03T01:03:15.069Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2020/11xxx/CVE-2020-11651.json

Also known as / affected packages

Sources and licences

  • CISA

    Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.

    CC0 1.0 Universal

  • National Vulnerability Database (NIST)

    This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

    NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)

  • CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation

    Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.

    CVE Program Terms of Use ("CVE Usage" licence)

  • GitHub Advisory Database via OSV.dev

    GHSA-pjhf-vpx3-33r3: GitHub Advisory Database, https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-pjhf-vpx3-33r3. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), provided as is, without warranties. Retrieved via OSV.dev (https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-pjhf-vpx3-33r3), which enriches records; fields selected and reformatted by ransomware-tracker.com.

    CC BY 4.0

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2020-11651: SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-e2d675df5fa1, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2020-11651 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-17T02:50:33.323.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-10-21T23:35:44.859Z.
Underlying source: GitHub Advisory Database, GHSA-pjhf-vpx3-33r3, via OSV.dev, modified 2024-10-26T23:03:20.155516Z.

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