CVE-2015-6918 in Salt
Summary
by MITRE
salt before 2015.5.5 leaks git usernames and passwords to the log.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-6918 affects the salt configuration management system prior to version 2015.5.5, presenting a critical security flaw that exposes sensitive authentication credentials in system logs. This issue stems from improper handling of git repository credentials during the configuration management process, where salt fails to sanitize or mask authentication information before writing it to log files. The flaw represents a classic example of insecure logging practices that can lead to credential exposure and subsequent unauthorized access to version control systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when salt attempts to access git repositories for configuration management purposes. During this process, the system logs contain unmasked credentials including usernames and passwords that are directly written to log files without any form of obfuscation or sanitization. This behavior violates fundamental security principles for credential handling and log management, creating a persistent exposure risk for authentication information. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core functionality of salt's configuration management capabilities, which are widely used for system automation and deployment across enterprise environments.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations using salt for infrastructure automation. Attackers who gain access to system logs can extract git credentials and use them to gain unauthorized access to source code repositories, potentially leading to code tampering, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation within the development environment. The impact extends beyond immediate credential compromise, as these credentials may be reused across multiple systems or applications, amplifying the potential damage. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-546 which addresses the presence of sensitive information in logs, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for credentials from password stores, as compromised credentials can be used to access additional systems.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to salt version 2015.5.5 or later to address this vulnerability, as this release includes proper credential sanitization in log output. Additional mitigations include implementing log file access controls, monitoring for credential exposure in log files, and establishing automated log scanning processes to detect sensitive information. Security teams should also review existing log files for potential credential exposure and implement proper log rotation and retention policies. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure coding practices in automated systems and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of configuration management tools that handle sensitive authentication information.