HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2017-12791
CRITICAL

CVE-2017-12791

CWE-22Published: August 23, 2017· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Directory traversal vulnerability in minion id validation in SaltStack Salt before 2016.11.7 and 2017.7.x before 2017.7.1 allows remote minions with incorrect credentials to authenticate to a master via a crafted minion ID.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2017-12791 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

saltstack1 product(s)
salt
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=872399
PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1482006
PATCHhttps://docs.saltstack.com/en/2016.11/topics/releases/2016.11.7.html
PATCHhttps://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2017.7.1.html
PATCHhttps://github.com/saltstack/salt/pull/42944
PATCHhttps://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=872399
PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1482006
PATCHhttps://docs.saltstack.com/en/2016.11/topics/releases/2016.11.7.html
PATCHhttps://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2017.7.1.html
PATCHhttps://github.com/saltstack/salt/pull/42944
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100384
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100384

All References (12)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100384Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=872399Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1482006Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/2016.11/topics/releases/2016.11.7.htmlPatch · Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2017.7.1.htmlPatch · Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/saltstack/salt/pull/42944Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100384Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=872399Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1482006Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/2016.11/topics/releases/2016.11.7.htmlPatch · Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://docs.saltstack.com/en/latest/topics/releases/2017.7.1.htmlPatch · Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/saltstack/salt/pull/42944Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2017-12791
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-22
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 23, 2017

Related CVEs (CWE-22)

CVE-2025-69770
10.0
CVE-2026-41211
10.0
CVE-2008-1310
10.0
CVE-2025-52562
10.0
CVE-2026-36767
10.0
CVE-2026-11420
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2017-12791 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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