HIGH
CVE-2021-21996
NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: September 8, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
7.5
CVSS v3.1
Official Description
An issue was discovered in SaltStack Salt before 3003.3. A user who has control of the source, and source_hash URLs can gain full file system access as root on a salt minion.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-21996 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
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 7.5.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Vendors & Products
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
All References (16)
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/11/msg00017.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/11/msg00019.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6BUWUF5VTENNP2ZYZBVFKPSUHLKLUBD5/Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ACVT7M4YLZRLWWQ6SGRK3C6TOF4FXOXT/Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MBAHHSGZLEJRCG4DX6J4RBWJAAWH55RQ/Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://saltproject.io/security_announcements/salt-security-advisory-2021-sep-02/Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202310-22Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-5011Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/11/msg00017.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/11/msg00019.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6BUWUF5VTENNP2ZYZBVFKPSUHLKLUBD5/Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ACVT7M4YLZRLWWQ6SGRK3C6TOF4FXOXT/Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MBAHHSGZLEJRCG4DX6J4RBWJAAWH55RQ/Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://saltproject.io/security_announcements/salt-security-advisory-2021-sep-02/Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202310-22Third Party Advisory
Quick Facts
CVE IDCVE-2021-21996
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessNVD-CWE-noinfo
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 8, 2021
Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-21996 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.