# CVE-2025-22238: CVE-2025-22238 salt advisory

> An attacker can exploit directory traversal in the Salt master's file cache to write or overwrite files outside the intended cache directory.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Jun 2025
- **Updated:** 13 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r546-h3ff-q585, PYSEC-2026-1901, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-22238

## What is CVE-2025-22238?

CVE-2025-22238 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in VMware SALT, published on 13 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Directory traversal attack in minion file cache creation. The master's default cache is vulnerable to a directory traversal attack. Which could be leveraged to write or overwrite 'cache' files outside of the cache directory.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-22238?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including salt.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `salt` | PyPI | From 3006.0rc1 | 3006.12, 3007.4 |
| `salt` | PyPI | From 3006.0rc1 | 3006.12 |
| `salt` | PyPI | From 3006.0rc1 | 3006.12 |
| `salt` | PyPI | From 3007.0rc1 | 3007.4 |
| `salt` | PyPI | From 3007.0rc1 | 3007.4 |

## How do I fix CVE-2025-22238?

Upgrade salt to a fixed version for your release line: 3006.12 or 3007.4.

## Is CVE-2025-22238 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-22238 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-22238 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-22238 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in VMware SALT, published on 13 Jun 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-22238 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- salt (PyPI): affected from 3006.0rc1; fixed in 3006.12, 3007.4
- salt (PyPI): affected from 3006.0rc1; fixed in 3006.12
- salt (PyPI): affected from 3006.0rc1; fixed in 3006.12
- salt (PyPI): affected from 3007.0rc1; fixed in 3007.4
- salt (PyPI): affected from 3007.0rc1; fixed in 3007.4

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-2025-22238/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22238/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-22238
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-22238
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-22238

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-22238/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.