Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2024-38824: Salt vulnerable to directory traversal attack in file receiving method
Directory traversal vulnerability in recvfile method allows arbitrary files to be written to the master cache directory.
CVSS 9.6 Critical EPSS 1.0% · p64
Should you act?
Critical, preconditions apply
Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 1.0%, percentile 64: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.0% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 64% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
salt(PyPI) >= 3007.0rc1, < 3007.4, fixed in 3007.4;salt(PyPI) >= 3006.0rc1, < 3006.12, fixed in 3006.12. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
Directory traversal vulnerability in recvfile method allows arbitrary files to be written to the master cache directory.
From the GitHub advisory
Directory traversal vulnerability in recvfile method allows arbitrary files to be written to the master cache directory.
Weakness type: CWE-22.
Product: salt (PyPI) · Assigned by: vmware · Published: 2025-06-13
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | salt | >= 3007.0rc1, < 3007.4 | 3007.4 |
| PyPI | salt | >= 3006.0rc1, < 3006.12 | 3006.12 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| VMware | SALT | 3006.x < 3006.12, 3007.x < 3007.4 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| vmware | 3.1 | 9.6 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.6 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: changed (can affect other components)
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.03% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 64.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by vmware
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-8pcp-r83j-fc92 published (critical)
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-8pcp-r83j-fc92 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2024-38824 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2024-38824 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- docs.saltproject.io docs.saltproject.io
- docs.saltproject.io docs.saltproject.io
- github.com github.com