CVE-2020-16846
CVE-2020-16846 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Saltstack Salt with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-78.
Key facts
- Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
- CVSS v2: 7.5
- EPSS exploit prediction: 100% (100th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2020-0173
- EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
- Weakness: CWE-78
- Affected product: Saltstack Salt
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt through 3002. Sending crafted web requests to the Salt API, with the SSH client enabled, can result in shell injection.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-16846?
- An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt through 3002. Sending crafted web requests to the Salt API, with the SSH client enabled, can result in shell injection.
- How severe is CVE-2020-16846?
- CVE-2020-16846 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-2020-16846 being actively exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2020-16846 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
- What products are affected by CVE-2020-16846?
- CVE-2020-16846 primarily affects Saltstack Salt. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-16846?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
- Does CVE-2020-16846 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2020-16846 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-0173. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
- When was CVE-2020-16846 published?
- CVE-2020-16846 was published on 2020-11-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00029.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160039/SaltStack-Salt-REST-API-Arbitrary-Command-Execution.html
- https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00007.html
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/01/msg00000.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TPOGB2F6XUAIGFDTOCQDNB2VIXFXHWMA/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-13
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4837
- https://www.saltstack.com/blog/on-november-3-2020-saltstack-publicly-disclosed-three-new-cves/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1379/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1380/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1381/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1382/
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1383/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-16846
Affected products (7)
- cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt:3001:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt:3002:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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