CVE-2020-8028: salt-api is accessible to every user on SUSE Manager Server

Severity: critical (CVSS 9.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: yes
Published: 2020-09-17 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-284

Description

A Improper Access Control vulnerability in the configuration of salt of SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SUSE Manager Server 4.1, SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0, SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0, SUSE Manager Server 3.2, SUSE Manager Server 4.0 allows local users to escalate to root on every system managed by SUSE manager. On the managing node itself code can be executed as user salt, potentially allowing for escalation to root there. This issue affects: SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for SUSE Manager Server 4.1 google-gson versions prior to 2.8.5-3.4.3, httpcomponents-client-4.5.6-3.4.2, httpcomponents-. SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 release-notes-susemanager-proxy versions prior to 4.0.9-0.16.38.1. SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 release-notes-susemanager-proxy versions prior to 4.0.9-0.16.38.1. SUSE Manager Server 3.2 salt-netapi-client versions prior to 0.16.0-4.14.1, spacewalk-. SUSE Manager Server 4.0 release-notes-susemanager versions prior to 4.0.9-3.54.1.

Affected products

SUSE Salt-Netapi-Client: before 0.17.0-3.3.2; before 0.16.0-4.14.1; before 0.17.0-4.6.3 — fixed in 0.16.0-4.14.1, 0.17.0-3.3.2, 0.17.0-4.6.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: SUSE Salt-Netapi-Client 0.16.0-4.14.1, 0.17.0-3.3.2, 0.17.0-4.6.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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