CVE-2025-20320
📋 TL;DR
A path traversal vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise and Cloud Platform allows low-privileged users to delete arbitrary files via a malicious payload on the User Interface - Views configuration page, potentially causing denial of service. Exploitation requires phishing an administrator to initiate the request. Affects Splunk Enterprise versions below 9.4.3, 9.3.5, 9.2.7, and 9.1.10, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below specific builds.
💻 Affected Systems
- Splunk Enterprise
- Splunk Cloud Platform
📦 What is this software?
Splunk by Splunk
Splunk by Splunk
Splunk by Splunk
Splunk by Splunk
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Critical system files are deleted, causing complete service disruption, data loss, and extended downtime requiring restoration from backups.
Likely Case
Partial service disruption affecting specific Splunk functionality, requiring investigation and file restoration.
If Mitigated
No impact due to proper access controls, user education against phishing, and prompt patching.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires social engineering (phishing) to trick an administrator into initiating the request, adding complexity beyond technical means.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Splunk Enterprise: 9.4.3, 9.3.5, 9.2.7, 9.1.10; Splunk Cloud Platform: 9.3.2411.107, 9.3.2408.117, 9.2.2406.121
Vendor Advisory: https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2025-0703
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup Splunk configuration and data. 2. Download the appropriate patch from Splunk's official website. 3. Apply the patch following Splunk's upgrade documentation. 4. Restart Splunk services to complete the update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict User Interface Access
allLimit access to the User Interface - Views configuration page to only trusted administrators to reduce attack surface.
# Configure role-based access in Splunk to restrict 'views' capabilities
# Use Splunk's access controls to remove 'views' permissions from low-privileged roles
Implement Phishing Awareness
allEducate administrators about phishing risks and safe browsing practices to prevent social engineering attacks.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Enforce strict access controls: Ensure low-privileged users have minimal permissions and monitor for unusual activity.
- Implement network segmentation: Isolate Splunk instances from general user networks to reduce phishing opportunities.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Splunk version via the web interface (Settings > Server Info) or command line; compare against affected versions listed in the advisory.Check Version:
On Linux: /opt/splunk/bin/splunk version; On Windows: "C:\Program Files\Splunk\bin\splunk.exe" versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is updated to patched versions: Splunk Enterprise >= 9.4.3, 9.3.5, 9.2.7, or 9.1.10; Splunk Cloud Platform >= specified builds.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file deletion events in Splunk audit logs
- Access to User Interface - Views page by low-privileged users
- Failed authentication or permission errors related to file operations
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious HTTP requests to Splunk web interfaces from internal users
- Unusual patterns in administrator user sessions
SIEM Query:
index=_audit action=delete source=*splunk* | search user!=admin user!=power | stats count by user, source