CVE-2023-34049

Privilege escalation via predictable pre-flight script path

Published Nov 14, 2024 · Updated Nov 14, 2024

Privilege escalation in Salt before 3005.4 and 3006.0rc1 through 3006.3 allows local users to run scripts with the Salt-SSH user's privileges. Salt-SSH copies a configured pre-flight script to a predictable target path, ignores an scp failure, and then executes the attacker's file at that path. Exploitation requires access to the target VM, advance knowledge of the path, and a Salt-SSH run using the pre-flight option.

CVSS severity6.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.19%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Salt before 3005.4 and 3006.0rc1 through 3006.3 allows local users to run scripts with the Salt-SSH user's privileges. Salt-SSH copies a configured pre-flight script to a predictable target path, ignores an scp failure, and then executes the attacker's file at that path. Exploitation requires access to the target VM, advance knowledge of the path, and a Salt-SSH run using the pre-flight option.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-34049
Published
Nov 14, 2024
Updated
Nov 14, 2024
Vendor
Salt Project
Product
Salt
Classifications
CWE-340, T1059
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 14, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 14, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3004 <3006.4
  2. Affected versionversion=3005 <3005.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Salt Project · Saltversion=3004 <3006.4; version=3005 <3005.4

Published CVSS scores

6.7VMwareCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-340Generation of Predictable Numbers or Identifiers
T1059Command and Scripting Interpreter

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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