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Critical, CVSS 9.8Exploited · CISA KEVamended

SaltStack Salt Command Injection in netapi ssh client

CVE-2020-16846GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w

What to do

Vendor fix available. Upgrade each affected package to the fixed version on its release line (salt 3002.1, 3001.2, 3000.4, 2019.2.6, 2018.3.5, 2017.7.8, 2016.11.10, 2016.3.8, 2015.8.13), redeploy, then verify what is actually installed.

This page has no inventory attached, so it cannot say whether you are affected. A vendor fix is not proof that your deployment is fixed.

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Affected packages

  • PyPI salt

    Affected
    < 2015.8.13>= 2016.3.0, < 2016.3.8>= 2016.11.0, < 2016.11.10>= 2017.5.0, < 2017.7.8>= 2018.2.0, < 2018.3.5>= 2019.2.0, < 2019.2.6>= 3000.0, < 3000.4>= 3001, < 3001.2>= 3002, < 3002.1
    Fixed in
    3000.4, 2015.8.13, 2016.3.8, 2018.3.5, 2019.2.6, 2017.7.8, 3002.1, 3001.2, 2016.11.10

Sources

Severity and exploitation
Exploitation
Confirmed: listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
CVSS
9.8 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H
EPSS
  • CVE-2020-16846: 99.59% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 99.95 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.
Source description

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

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.

Dates and revisions
Published by the source
Last modified by the source
Source last checked
  1. Revision 3 · amended ·

    Amended from ghsa record GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w

  2. Revision 2 · evidence added ·

    CISA KEV confirmed exploitation for CVE-2020-16846 (date added 2021-11-03). Customer workflow unchanged.

  3. Revision 1 · created ·

    Published from osv record GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w

Agent brief

Preview the exact text before you copy it. Commands are read-only suggestions; review them before running anything.

# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2020-16846

Advisory: SaltStack Salt Command Injection in netapi ssh client
IDs: CVE-2020-16846, GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2020-16846 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:35 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.8)
Exploitation: confirmed: listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: salt 3002.1, 3001.2, 3000.4, 2019.2.6, 2018.3.5, 2017.7.8, 2016.11.10, 2016.3.8, 2015.8.13. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI salt: affected < 2015.8.13; >= 2016.3.0, < 2016.3.8; >= 2016.11.0, < 2016.11.10; >= 2017.5.0, < 2017.7.8; >= 2018.2.0, < 2018.3.5; >= 2019.2.0, < 2019.2.6; >= 3000.0, < 3000.4; >= 3001, < 3001.2; >= 3002, < 3002.1; fixed in 3000.4, 2015.8.13, 2016.3.8, 2018.3.5, 2019.2.6, 2017.7.8, 3002.1, 3001.2, 2016.11.10

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show salt`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on salt.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w (OSV record GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w lists affected ranges: PyPI salt >=0 =2016.3.0 =2016.11.0 =2017.5.0 =2018.2.0 =2019.2.0 =3000.0 =3001 =3002 <3002.1 (fixed))
- Verified: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json (CISA added CVE-2020-16846 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03.)
- Verified: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog (CISA added CVE-2020-16846 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03.)
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-qr38-h96j-2j3w lists affected ranges: PyPI salt >=0 =2016.3.0 =2016.11.0 =2017.5.0 =2018.2.0 =2019.2.0 =3000.0 =3001 =3002 <3002.1)

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