CVE-2020-11652
HighExploitedPublic exploitSaltStack Salt is vulnerable Arbitrary Directory Access
Published May 24, 2022 · Updated Jul 8, 2026 · Also known as GHSA-vp49-2g4r-m3x3, PYSEC-2020-103, UBUNTU-CVE-2020-11652
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2020-11652 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.1 v4) affecting Workspaces Server (Blackberry), Salt (Saltstack), Application Remote Collector (Vmware) and 22 more products.
- It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jul 22, 2020. Public exploit code is available.
- EPSS estimates a 86% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- Fixed versions are available, including Workspaces Server <=7.1.3, python-distro 1.5.0-3.5.1, python-singledispatch 3.4.0.3-1.5.1.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.
CVSS v4
7.1
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
86%
Higher than 99.7% of all scored CVEs
Exploited in the wild
Yes
4 catalog listings
Public exploit code
Available
Proof-of-concept or weaponized module
Get the full CVE-2020-11652 brief as a PDF
Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.
Description
An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2. The salt-master process ClearFuncs class allows access to some methods that improperly sanitize paths. These methods allow arbitrary directory access to authenticated users.
Known-Exploited Catalog Listings
| Catalog | Added | Remediation due | Ransomware use |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA KEV | Nov 3, 2021 | May 3, 2022 | Not reported |
| Industry KEV feed | Jul 22, 2020 | May 3, 2022 | Not reported |
| CIRCL KEV | Nov 3, 2021 | May 3, 2022 | Not reported |
| ENISA EUVD | Nov 3, 2021 | n/a | Not reported |
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Affected Products
387 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Workspaces ServerBlackberry | 9.1.0 | 7.1.3 |
| SaltSaltstack | See advisory | 2019.2.4 |
| Application Remote CollectorVmware | 7.5.0, 8.0.0 | n/a |
| Ubuntu LinuxCanonical | 16.04, 18.04 | n/a |
| Debian LinuxDebian | 10.0, 8.0, 9.0 | n/a |
Patched Releases
Workspaces Server
<=7.1.3
python-distro
1.5.0-3.5.1
python-singledispatch
3.4.0.3-1.5.1
python2-distro
1.5.0-3.5.1
python2-salt
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1
python3-distro
1.5.0-3.5.1
python3-salt
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
Salt
0.17.5+ds-1ubuntu0.1~esm2, 2014.1.13+ds-3+deb8u1, 2015.8.8+ds-1ubuntu0.1, 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u3, 2016.11.2+ds-1+deb9u4, 2016.11.4-48.10.1, 2017.7.4+dfsg1-1ubuntu18.04.2, 2018.3.4+dfsg1-6+deb10u1, 2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 2019.2.4, 2019.2.4-1, 2019.2.4-1.ph1, 2019.2.4-r0, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3000.2, 3000.2-r0, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-api
2016.11.4-48.10.1, 2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-bash-completion
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-cloud
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-doc
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-fish-completion
2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-master
2016.11.4-48.10.1, 2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-minion
2016.11.4-48.10.1, 2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-proxy
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-ssh
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-standalone-formulas-configuration
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-syndic
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-transactional-update
3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt-zsh-completion
2019.2.0-46.91.1, 2019.2.0-5.67.1, 2019.2.0-6.27.1, 2019.2.0-lp151.5.15.1, 3000-46.101.1, 3000-5.78.1, 3000-6.37.1, 3000-lp151.5.21.1, 3002.2-37.1, 3002.2-lp152.3.36.1
salt3
2019.2.4-1.ph1, 2019.2.4-1.ph3
Timeline
Added to Industry KEV feed
Jul 22, 2020
Added to CISA KEV
Nov 3, 2021
Added to CIRCL KEV
Nov 3, 2021
Added to ENISA EUVD
Nov 3, 2021
Publicly disclosed
May 24, 2022
Last updated
Jul 8, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
- CWE-22 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
References
- advisoryhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/1157465
- advisoryhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/1159284
- advisoryhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/1162327
- advisoryhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/1165572
- advisoryhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/1167437
FAQ
Common Questions.
An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2.
Affected: Workspaces Server (Blackberry) versions 9.1.0; Salt (Saltstack); Application Remote Collector (Vmware) versions 7.5.0, 8.0.0, among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is exploited in the wild, listed in CISA KEV, Industry KEV feed, CIRCL KEV, ENISA EUVD since Jul 22, 2020.
Yes. It was added on Nov 3, 2021 with a federal remediation due date of May 3, 2022.
Public exploit code is available.
Fixed versions are available, including Workspaces Server <=7.1.3, python-distro 1.5.0-3.5.1, python-singledispatch 3.4.0.3-1.5.1.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is listed as exploited in the wild.
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