VMware Salt Stack Unvalidated Input Vulnerability in PKI Directory Management

A vulnerability exists in VMware Salt Stack that involves unvalidated input being used to create file paths to the PKI directory. This issue arises when 'on-demand pillar' data is requested, leading to unintended overwriting of file contents. The vulnerability is present in Salt versions 3006.12 and 3007.4, and is exploited through the VirtKey class, which automatically accepts Minion authentication keys based on a pre-placed authorization file. This functionality is active by default.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability overwrites file contents in the PKI directory, potentially disrupting Minion authentication processes by corrupting or altering expected authorization files.