CVE-2024-22231
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedSyndic cache directory creation is vulnerable to a directory traversal attack in salt project which can lead a malicious attacker to create an arbitrary directory on a Salt master.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Syndic component in Salt has a directory traversal vulnerability in its cache directory creation function. When creating cache directories, user-controlled input is not properly sanitized, allowing path traversal sequences (such as '../') to escape the intended cache directory and create arbitrary directories on the Salt master filesystem.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Salt installation and versionRun `salt --version` or `rpm -q salt` to determine the installed Salt version. Compare this version against the CVE publication date and any known affected version ranges.Affected if The installed version is unpatched and falls within the affected version range for this CVE.
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Determine if Syndic component is enabledCheck Salt configuration files (typically `/etc/salt/master` or `/etc/salt/minion`) for `syndic` settings. Look for `syndic_master` configuration or run `salt-call config.get syndic_master` to check if Syndic is configured.Affected if The Syndic component is enabled and connected to a Salt master.
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Verify cache directory configurationInspect the `syndic_cache` or `cache_dir` setting in Salt master configuration. Default location is typically `/var/cache/salt/syndic`. Check if the path is properly scoped and not world-writable.Affected if Cache directory is accessible and Syndic is actively using it for caching.
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Check for anomalous directories outside cacheUse `find /var/cache/salt -type d -perm -002` to identify world-writable directories. Audit parent directories of the cache location for any unexpected subdirectories created outside the intended path.Affected if Unexpected directories exist outside the expected cache hierarchy that may indicate exploitation.
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Review Salt master logs for traversal patternsSearch Salt master logs (typically in `/var/log/salt/master`) for patterns like '../', '..\', or multiple slashes in paths related to syndic cache operations. Use grep: `grep -r '\.\./' /var/log/salt/master` or equivalent.Affected if Log entries show path traversal attempts in Syndic cache operations.
A user is affected if they are running an unpatched version of Salt with the Syndic component enabled and the cache directory is accessible, allowing potential path traversal to create arbitrary directories on the master filesystem.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply the vendor patch which adds proper path sanitization to prevent directory traversal sequences in Syndic cache directory creation. Additionally, restrict file system permissions on the Salt master to limit the impact of directory creation.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,512.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-22231 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-22231 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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