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CVE-2020-11651 — An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2.

Key facts

CVE-2020-11651 is a Critical (9.8) vulnerability: An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2.. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2021-11-03), confirming active exploitation in the wild.

Actively exploited — on the CISA KEV catalog

CVE-2020-11651 is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2021-11-03), confirming exploitation in the wild. Federal remediation deadline: 2022-05-03. Prioritise patching and deploy the detection and prevention rules below.
CVE CVE-2020-11651
Severity Critical (9.8)
CISA KEV Actively exploited (added 2021-11-03)
Detection / prevention —
PoC poc.py
Source 2020/CVE-2020-11651/

Details

English | 한국어

Description

An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2. The salt-master process ClearFuncs class does not properly validate method calls. This allows a remote user to access some methods without authentication. These methods can be used to retrieve user tokens from the salt master and/or run arbitrary commands on salt minions.

Vulnerability Details

Property Value
CVE ID CVE-2020-11651
CVSS Score 9.8

Proof of Concept

Download

# Download PoC script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fankh/vulnerability-poc/main/2020/CVE-2020-11651/poc.py

Usage

# Run PoC against target
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL>

# With authentication
python3 poc.py --target <TARGET_URL> --username <USER> --password <PASS>

⚠️ Warning: This PoC is for authorized security testing only. It uses detection-only techniques and does not exploit or damage target systems.

Test Lab

This repository includes a Docker-based test environment with both vulnerable and patched applications.

Quick Start

# Clone and navigate to CVE directory
cd CVE-2020-11651

# Start both applications
docker-compose up -d

# Run tests
./run-tests.sh    # Linux/Mac
./run-tests.ps1   # Windows PowerShell

Application Endpoints

Application URL Status
Vulnerable App http://localhost:8080 Shows vulnerability
Patched App http://localhost:8081 Demonstrates fix

Directory Structure

├── README.md           # English documentation
├── README_KO.md        # Korean documentation
├── poc.py              # PoC detection script
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── run-tests.sh        # Linux/Mac test runner
├── run-tests.ps1       # Windows test runner
├── vulnerable-app/     # Vulnerable version
│   ├── app.py
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── requirements.txt
└── patched-app/        # Fixed version
    ├── app.py
    ├── Dockerfile
    └── requirements.txt

References

  • http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00047.html
  • http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00070.html
  • http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157560/Saltstack-3000.1-Remote-Code-Execution.html
  • http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157678/SaltStack-Salt-Master-Minion-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.html
  • http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0009.html
  • https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2019.2.4.html
  • https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/v3000.2_docs/doc/topics/releases/3000.2.rst
  • https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/05/msg00027.html
  • https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-salt-2vx545AG
  • https://usn.ubuntu.com/4459-1/
  • https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4676
  • http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-04/msg00047.html
  • http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00070.html
  • http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157560/Saltstack-3000.1-Remote-Code-Execution.html
  • http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157678/SaltStack-Salt-Master-Minion-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.html
  • http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0009.html
  • https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2019.2.4.html
  • https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/v3000.2_docs/doc/topics/releases/3000.2.rst
  • https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/05/msg00027.html
  • https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-salt-2vx545AG
  • https://usn.ubuntu.com/4459-1/
  • https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4676
  • https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-11651

Generated by PoC Generator on 2026-07-01T11:53:30.023967699

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-11651?

CVE-2020-11651 is a Critical (9.8) vulnerability: An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 before 3000.2.. This entry ships a detection-only PoC and a Docker test lab. It is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (added 2021-11-03), confirming active exploitation in the wild.

How do I detect CVE-2020-11651?

Run the detection-only PoC included with this entry against your Docker test lab to confirm whether a target is affected; pair it with your own IDS logging.

How do I block or mitigate CVE-2020-11651?

Upgrade to a fixed version per the vendor advisory; the NVD record lists the affected versions. Use the included PoC to verify your remediation.

Is CVE-2020-11651 actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2020-11651 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 2021-11-03, which means it has been exploited in the wild. CISA set a federal remediation deadline of 2022-05-03. Prioritise patching and deploy the detection and prevention rules above.

For authorized security testing and research only. See the full source and NVD record.