CVE-2025-22241
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 · uneditedFile contents overwrite the VirtKey class is called when “on-demand pillar” data is requested and uses un-validated input to create paths to the “pki directory”. The functionality is used to auto-accept Minion authentication keys based on a pre-placed “authorization file” at a specific location and is present in the default configuration.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability exists in Salt's VirtKey class where unvalidated input is used to construct paths to the pki directory during on-demand pillar data requests. This could allow an attacker to overwrite arbitrary files in the pki directory, potentially manipulating minion authentication key auto-acceptance logic.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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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Confirm Salt installation and locate master configurationRun 'salt-master --version' to get the version and locate the master config file (commonly /etc/salt/master or /etc/salt/master.d/)Affected if Salt is installed and the version falls within the vulnerable range for this CVE
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Identify the pki directory locationCheck the master configuration file for the 'pki_dir' directive. Default location is typically /etc/salt/pki/master/Affected if A pki_dir is configured and accessible via the Salt master
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Verify if VirtKey functionality is in useSearch for VirtKey class usage in the Salt virt module code or check if virtual machine management features are actively usedAffected if VirtKey class is being called, particularly during pillar data requests
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Check for on-demand pillar data request capabilityInspect the master configuration for 'ext_pillar' settings or other pillar-related configurations that allow dynamic pillar data retrievalAffected if On-demand or dynamic pillar data requests are enabled
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Verify pki directory file permissions and access controlsReview file permissions on the pki directory and its contents. Check if the Salt master process has write access to sensitive key filesAffected if The Salt master process can write to the pki directory and auto-acceptance of minion keys is enabled
A user is affected if running a vulnerable version of Salt with VirtKey in use, on-demand pillar requests enabled, and the pki directory accessible for potential path traversal exploitation.
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 dataImplement strict input validation and path sanitization on all path parameters used to access the pki directory. Consider disabling the auto-acceptance feature if not required, or implement additional authorization checks.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-22241 — 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-2025-22241 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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