Advisory Details

November 24th, 2020

SaltStack Salt rest_cherrypy ssh_options Command Injection Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

ZDI-20-1381
ZDI-CAN-11169

CVE ID CVE-2020-16846
CVSS SCORE 7.3, AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
AFFECTED VENDORS SaltStack
AFFECTED PRODUCTS Salt
VULNERABILITY DETAILS

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of SaltStack Salt. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the rest_cherrypy module. When parsing the ssh_options parameter, the process does not properly validate a user-supplied string before using it to execute a system call. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the salt-api process.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS SaltStack has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at:
https://www.saltstack.com/blog/on-november-3-2020-saltstack-publicly-disclosed-three-new-cves/
DISCLOSURE TIMELINE
  • 2020-06-12 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2020-11-24 - Coordinated public release of advisory
CREDIT KPC of Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative
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