# CVE-2020-11012: Authentication bypass MinIO Admin API

> Attackers with an admin access key can bypass authentication to perform admin operations and create service accounts without the secret key.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 23 Apr 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** CLEANSTART-2026-RL62768, GHSA-xv4r-vccv-mg4w, MINI-8gv6-436h-p8gj, MINI-mr25-82r3-qr86

## What is CVE-2020-11012?

CVE-2020-11012 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in minio, published on 23 Apr 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

MinIO versions before RELEASE.2020-04-23T00-58-49Z have an authentication bypass issue in the MinIO admin API. Given an admin access key, it is possible to perform admin API operations i.e. creating new service accounts for existing access keys - without knowing the admin secret key. This has been fixed and released in version RELEASE.2020-04-23T00-58-49Z.

Weakness: CWE-755 (Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions), CWE-305 (Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-11012?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Minio Minio.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-11012?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2020-11012 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-11012 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in minio

- [CVE-2023-28434](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28434/): MinIO Security Feature Bypass (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-28432](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28432/): MinIO Information Disclosure (high 7.5, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-33322](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33322/): MinIO: JWT Algorithm Confusion in OIDC Authentication (critical 9.2)
- [CVE-2026-33419](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-33419/): MinIO: LDAP login brute-force via user enumeration and missing rate limit (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-40344](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-40344/): MinIO has an Unauthenticated Object Write via Missing Signature Verification in Unsigned-Trailer Uploads (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-11012 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-11012 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in minio, published on 23 Apr 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-11012 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: minio. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11012/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11012/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-11012
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11012
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-11012

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11012/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.