CVE-2017-5192 in SaltStack Salt
Summary
by MITRE
When using the local_batch client from salt-api in SaltStack Salt before 2015.8.13, 2016.3.x before 2016.3.5, and 2016.11.x before 2016.11.2, external authentication is not respected, enabling all authentication to be bypassed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5192 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within the SaltStack Salt distributed system management platform. This vulnerability specifically affects the local_batch client functionality within salt-api, which serves as the primary interface for external API access to SaltStack environments. The flaw exists across multiple version streams including the 2015.8.13 release line, the 2016.3.5 release line, and the 2016.11.2 release line, indicating a widespread issue that impacted numerous deployments of the SaltStack platform. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of authentication mechanisms within the salt-api component, which is designed to provide RESTful API access to SaltStack's orchestration capabilities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in the failure of the local_batch client to properly validate authentication credentials when processing requests through the salt-api interface. This authentication bypass allows any unauthenticated user to execute commands and access system resources that should be restricted to authorized personnel. The flaw essentially disables the entire authentication framework for the affected client, enabling arbitrary access to the underlying SaltStack infrastructure regardless of configured security policies or user credentials. This represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a critical weakness in the authentication architecture of the salt-api service. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited remotely, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where the salt-api service is exposed to external networks.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5192 extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected SaltStack installations. Since SaltStack is commonly used for system administration and orchestration across enterprise environments, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and unauthorized modification of critical infrastructure components. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of SaltStack's distributed management capabilities, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands on multiple systems simultaneously. This threat is particularly severe because SaltStack is often deployed in production environments where it manages critical infrastructure, making the authentication bypass a pathway to extensive system disruption and potential data breaches. The impact is further amplified by the fact that this vulnerability affects multiple major release lines, meaning that a significant portion of SaltStack deployments were potentially vulnerable.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-5192 focus on immediate patching of affected systems to the recommended secure versions including 2015.8.13, 2016.3.5, and 2016.11.2. Organizations should also implement network-level restrictions to limit access to the salt-api service, ensuring that it is only accessible from trusted network segments. Additionally, administrators should review and implement proper network segmentation policies to prevent unauthorized access to the salt-api endpoint. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to salt-api endpoints, and organizations should conduct thorough security audits of their SaltStack deployments to identify any potential exploitation that may have occurred during the vulnerability window.