SALT: Improper Authentication
CVE-2025-22236 is a high-severity improper authentication vulnerability in SALT from VMware, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 3006.12, 3007.4 as the first without the flaw, so updating SALT to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.18% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update SALT to 3006.12 or 3007.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| VMware | SALT | 3006.x up to, but not including, 3006.12; 3007.x up to, but not including, 3007.4 | 3006.12, 3007.4 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- LowPerformance or availability is reduced.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L. Scored by CNA (vmware.com).
Official description
Minion event bus authorization bypass. An attacker with access to a minion key can craft a message which may be able to execute a job on other minions (>= 3007.0).
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Authentication
When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other vulnerabilities in SALT
- 8.1 High severity
Recent Improper Authentication vulnerabilities
- 7.3 High severity
- 7.3 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 10.0 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
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