CVE-2022-43563
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 · uneditedIn Splunk Enterprise versions below 8.2.9 and 8.1.12, the way that the rex search command handles field names lets an attacker bypass SPL safeguards for risky commands https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/SplunkCloud/latest/Security/SPLsafeguards . The vulnerability requires the attacker to phish the victim by tricking them into initiating a request within their browser. The attacker cannot exploit the vulnerability at will.
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 · high confidenceIn Splunk Enterprise versions below 8.2.9 and 8.1.12, the rex search command improperly handles field names in a way that allows attackers to bypass SPL safeguards designed to restrict risky commands. This enables malicious field extraction or manipulation that would normally be blocked by Splunk's security controls.
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>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.12>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.9< 9.0.2203CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 Splunk Enterprise versionNavigate to Settings > About > Version or run: splunk versionAffected if Installed version is 8.1.0 through 8.1.11, or 8.2.0 through 8.2.8
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Check Splunk Cloud Platform versionIn Splunk Cloud, check the version from the Cloud Platform portal or contact Splunk support for version confirmationAffected if Cloud platform version is below 9.0.2203
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Review audit logs for anomalous rex commandsSearch audit logs: index=_audit action=search search=rex | stats count by user, searchAffected if Unusual or unauthorized field extraction patterns using rex command are found
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Check for modified or new field extractionsReview props.conf and transforms.conf for unauthorized field extractions, or search: index=_internal sourcetype=splunkd_ui_access rex command=rexAffected if Field extractions exist that were not created by authorized administrators
Your environment is affected if you run Splunk Enterprise 8.1.0-8.1.11 or 8.2.0-8.2.8, or Splunk Cloud Platform below 9.0.2203, and users have access to run SPL searches with the rex command.
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 · scoped8.1.128.2.99.0.2203
Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.9, 8.1.12, or later to patch the vulnerability. Since exploitation requires phishing the victim into initiating a request, implement user awareness training to reduce phishing success.
Splunk Enterprise: 8.1.12 or 8.2.9; Splunk Cloud Platform: 9.0.2203
- For Splunk Enterprise 8.1.x: Upgrade to version 8.1.12 or later
- For Splunk Enterprise 8.2.x: Upgrade to version 8.2.9 or later
- For Splunk Cloud Platform: Upgrade to version 9.0.2203 or later
- After upgrading, verify the SPL safeguards are functioning correctly by testing legitimate search queries
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-43563 — 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-2022-43563 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data