How severe is CVE-2020-25592?

CVE-2020-25592 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-2020-25592 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 57% (99th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-25592?

CVE-2020-25592 primarily affects Saltstack Salt. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-25592?

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-2020-25592 published?

CVE-2020-25592 was published on 2020-11-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-25592

CVE-2020-25592 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Saltstack Salt with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 57% places it in the 99th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-287.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 57% (99th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Saltstack Salt
Published: 2020-11-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In SaltStack Salt through 3002, salt-netapi improperly validates eauth credentials and tokens. A user can bypass authentication and invoke Salt SSH.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-25592?: In SaltStack Salt through 3002, salt-netapi improperly validates eauth credentials and tokens. A user can bypass authentication and invoke Salt SSH.
How severe is CVE-2020-25592?: CVE-2020-25592 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-2020-25592 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 57% (99th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-25592?: CVE-2020-25592 primarily affects Saltstack Salt. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-25592?: 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-2020-25592 published?: CVE-2020-25592 was published on 2020-11-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:saltstack:salt:3001:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Saltstack Salt

CVE-2013-6617 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The salt master in Salt (aka SaltStack) 0.11.0 through 0.17.0 does not properly drop group privileges, which makes it…
CVE-2013-4437 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in salt-ssh in Salt (aka SaltStack) 0.17.0 has unspecified impact and vectors related to…
CVE-2021-33226 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Buffer Overflow vulnerability in Saltstack v.3003 and before allows attacker to execute arbitrary code via the func…
CVE-2021-25315 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): CWE - CWE-287: Improper Authentication vulnerability in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP 3; openSUSE Tumbleweed…
CVE-2021-3197 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 3002.5. The salt-api's ssh client is vulnerable to a shell injection…
CVE-2021-3148 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 3002.5. Sending crafted web requests to the Salt API can result in…

All CVEs affecting Saltstack Salt →

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-45480 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Active Directory allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
CVE-2026-46389 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): UDS Identity Config builds the Keycloak configuration image (realm, plugins, theme, truststore, JARs) consumed by UDS…
CVE-2026-10611 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in MISP when LDAP mixed authentication is enabled with OTP enforcement.…
CVE-2026-47280 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Resource Manager (ARM) allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a…
CVE-2026-42822 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Local Disconnected Operations allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges…
CVE-2026-20182 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and…

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →