CVE-2024-22231
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows an attacker to create arbitrary directories on a Salt master via directory traversal in the syndic cache directory creation. It affects Salt masters running vulnerable versions, potentially enabling further attacks.
💻 Affected Systems
- Salt Project
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could create directories in sensitive locations, potentially leading to privilege escalation, data manipulation, or denial of service by filling disk space.
Likely Case
Directory creation in non-critical locations, enabling reconnaissance or preparation for follow-on attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file permissions and network segmentation restrict access to the Salt master.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires network access to the Salt master's syndic interface and knowledge of the vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Salt 3006.10 or 3007.4
Vendor Advisory: https://saltproject.io/security-announcements/2024-01-31-advisory/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your Salt configuration. 2. Upgrade Salt to version 3006.10 or 3007.4 using your package manager (e.g., 'apt upgrade salt-master' or 'yum update salt-master'). 3. Restart the Salt master service (e.g., 'systemctl restart salt-master').
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable syndic cache
allTemporarily disable the syndic cache functionality to mitigate the vulnerability.
Edit Salt master config to set 'syndic_cache: false' and restart salt-master
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict network access to the Salt master's syndic interface using firewalls.
- Implement strict file permissions and monitor for unauthorized directory creation.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Salt version with 'salt --version' or 'salt-master --version'. If version is below 3006.10 or 3007.4, it is vulnerable.Check Version:
salt --versionVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify version is 3006.10 or 3007.4 or higher with 'salt --version'.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual directory creation events in Salt master logs
- Errors related to syndic cache operations
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected connections to the Salt master's syndic port (default 4506)
SIEM Query:
source="salt-master.log" AND ("directory creation" OR "syndic_cache")