SaltStack Salt Shell Injection Vulnerability
SaltStack Salt allows an unauthenticated user with network access to the Salt API to use shell injections to run code on the Salt API using the SSH client. This vulnerability affects any users running the Salt API.
- Vendor
- SaltStack
- Product
- Salt
- CVSS
- 9.8
- EPSS (exploit probability)
- 99.6%
- Status
- kev
- CISA patch-by (BOD 22-01)
- Added to KEV
Is CVE-2020-16846 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2020-16846 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on . CISA only lists a CVE when it has reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild.
FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 99.6% (scored October 14, 2026).
- CISA KEV[ LISTED ]
- ENISA EUVD (exploited)[ — ]
- CIRCL KEV[ — ]
Catalog snapshot 2026-10-21. Full cross-catalog view: /kev-comparison
What to do
CISA required actionApply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal civilian agencies must remediate by (181 days after listing) under BOD 22-01. Everyone else: that deadline is a sensible upper bound, not a target. Vendor guidance and the NVD record are linked under Source above.
Other SaltStack Salt CVEs we track
| CVE / Vulnerability | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Added to KEV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-11652 SaltStack Salt Path Traversal Vulnerability | [ MEDIUM ] | 6.5 | 86.2% | |
| CVE-2020-11651 SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass Vulnerability | [ CRITICAL ] | 9.8 | 96.6% |