CVE-2021-31607

In SaltStack Salt 2016.9 through 3002.6, a command injection vulnerability exists in the snapper module that allows for local privilege escalation on a minion. The attack requires that a file is created with a pathname that is backed up by snapper, and that the master calls the snapper.diff function (which executes popen unsafely).

Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command. Typical impact: arbitrary command execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2021-31607 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3003rc1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

1. What is CVE-2021-31607? CVE-2021-31607 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in salt (pip), affecting versions >= 2016.11.0, <= 3002.6. It is fixed in 3003rc1. Untrusted input is inserted into a command that is later executed by the application, allowing the attacker to alter the intent of that command.
2. How severe is CVE-2021-31607? CVE-2021-31607 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of salt are affected by CVE-2021-31607? salt (pip) versions >= 2016.11.0, <= 3002.6 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2021-31607? Yes. CVE-2021-31607 is fixed in 3003rc1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2021-31607 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-31607 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2021-31607 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2021-31607? Upgrade salt to 3003rc1 or later.