Description
Salt before 2015.5.10 and 2015.8.x before 2015.8.8, when PAM external authentication is enabled, allows attackers to bypass the configured authentication service by passing an alternate service with a command sent to LocalClient.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | salt | 0.17.5+ds-1ubuntu0.1~esm5 | USN-8153-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 2.1 | salt | 2014.1.10-5.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:0972-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 2 | salt | 2014.1.10-3.1 | SUSE-SU-2016:0970-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 1.0 | salt | 2014.1.10-5.6 | SUSE-SU-2016:1343-1 |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | salt | < 2015.5.10 | 2015.5.10 | GHSA-v2rp-9cpj-pfw2 |
| PyPI | salt | >= 2015.8, < 2015.8.8 | 2015.8.8 | GHSA-v2rp-9cpj-pfw2 |
| PyPI | salt | < 2015.5.10 · >= 2015.8, < 2015.8.8 | 2015.5.10, 2015.8.8 | PYSEC-2017-33 |
Advisories 4
- USN-8153-1 salt vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 8, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:0970-1 Security update for salt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:0972-1 Security update for salt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2016:1343-1 Security update for salt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026