CVE-2020-11651Known exploitationPublic exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated root command execution via ClearFuncs dispatch

Published Apr 30, 2020 · Updated Oct 21, 2025

Authentication bypass in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 through 3000.1 allows remote attackers to execute commands as root. The salt-master ClearFuncs dispatcher accepts attacker-selected method names and invokes private _send_pub or _prep_auth_info methods without an allowlist. Access to the master's ZeroMQ request server is sufficient to obtain its root key or queue commands that execute as root on the master or connected minions.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability96.61%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationReported
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Authentication bypass in SaltStack Salt before 2019.2.4 and 3000 through 3000.1 allows remote attackers to execute commands as root. The salt-master ClearFuncs dispatcher accepts attacker-selected method names and invokes private _send_pub or _prep_auth_info methods without an allowlist. Access to the master's ZeroMQ request server is sufficient to obtain its root key or queue commands that execute as root on the master or connected minions.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-11651
Published
Apr 30, 2020
Updated
Oct 21, 2025
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-306, CWE-20, T1210, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 30, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 3, 2021Exploitation reportedCISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog listing
  3. Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.5NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
9.3GitHub Advisory DatabaseCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
9.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationReported
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-306Missing Authentication for Critical Function
CWE-20Improper Input Validation
T1210Exploitation of Remote Services
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Reported exploitation

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo