How severe is CVE-2019-17361?

CVE-2019-17361 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-17361 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 15% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-17361?

CVE-2019-17361 primarily affects Saltstack Salt. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-17361?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2019-17361 published?

CVE-2019-17361 was published on 2020-01-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-17361

CVE-2019-17361 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Saltstack Salt with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 15% places it in the 96th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-77.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 15% (96th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-77
Affected product: Saltstack Salt
Published: 2020-01-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In SaltStack Salt through 2019.2.0, the salt-api NET API with the ssh client enabled is vulnerable to command injection. This allows an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the API endpoint to execute arbitrary code on the salt-api host.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-17361?: In SaltStack Salt through 2019.2.0, the salt-api NET API with the ssh client enabled is vulnerable to command injection. This allows an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the API endpoint to execute arbitrary code on the salt-api host.
How severe is CVE-2019-17361?: CVE-2019-17361 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-17361 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 15% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-17361?: CVE-2019-17361 primarily affects Saltstack Salt. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-17361?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-17361 published?: CVE-2019-17361 was published on 2020-01-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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