CVE-2013-6771
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDirectory traversal vulnerability in the collect script in Splunk before 5.0.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a .. (dot dot) in the file parameter. NOTE: this issue was SPLIT per ADT2 due to different vulnerability types. CVE-2013-7394 is for the issue in the "runshellscript echo.sh" script.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceDirectory traversal vulnerability in Splunk's collect script before version 5.0.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by using '..' (dot dot) sequences in the file parameter. The vulnerability stems from insufficient path validation in the collect script, enabling attackers to escape the intended directory and execute commands on the underlying system.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 5.0.4= 5.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 5.0.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed Splunk versionAccess Splunk web interface, go to Settings > About, or run 'splunk --version' from CLI, or check $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/splunk.version fileAffected if Version is 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 5.0.3, or 5.0.4 (or any version 5.0.x up to and including 5.0.4)
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Verify collect script endpoint accessibilityThe collect script is typically accessible via Splunk's REST API endpoint at /servicesNS/nobody/search/collect or CLI command 'splunkd collect'. Attempt to access this endpoint or review Splunk's server.conf for REST endpoint configurationsAffected if The collect script endpoint is enabled and accessible without additional compensating controls
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Review Splunk network exposureCheck firewall rules, Splunk's listenon settings in inputs.conf, and authentication configuration for ports 8089 (management) and 8000 (web)Affected if Splunk management or web interfaces are exposed to untrusted or public networks without proper access restrictions
A system is affected if Splunk version is 5.0 through 5.0.4 and the collect script endpoint is accessible to attackers who could exploit the directory traversal to execute arbitrary commands.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade Splunk to version 5.0.5 or later to obtain the patch for this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to Splunk interfaces and disable or monitor the collect script functionality.
Splunk 5.0.5 or later
- Back up all Splunk configuration files, apps, and data before upgrading
- Download Splunk Enterprise version 5.0.5 or later from the official Splunk website (splunk.com)
- Stop the Splunk service using the appropriate command for your environment (e.g., $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/splunk stop)
- Install Splunk 5.0.5 or later using the upgrade option, preserving existing configurations
- Start the Splunk service to complete the upgrade (e.g., $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/splunk start)
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Splunk version and confirming the collect script functionality is restored
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-6771 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-6771 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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