SplunkApplication

CVE-2022-43565

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-11-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.12 / 8.2.9 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 8.2.9 and 8.1.12, the way that the ‘tstats command handles Javascript Object Notation (JSON) 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.

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 confidence

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 8.2.9 and 8.1.12, the tstats command improperly handles JSON data in a way that bypasses SPL (Search Processing Language) safeguards designed to restrict risky commands. An attacker can exploit this by phishing a victim into initiating a crafted request in their browser, allowing the attacker to potentially execute unsafe SPL commands or access data beyond their authorized permissions.

MitigationUpgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.9, 8.1.12, or later to patch the vulnerability. Until patched, exercise caution with links and requests originating from untrusted sources, as the exploit requires social engineering to trigger.

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
SplunkApplication
Affected:>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.12>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.9
Splunk Cloud PlatformApplication
Affected:< 9.0.2203

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Splunk Enterprise version
    Navigate to Settings > About or run: splunk --version or check $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/splunk.version
    Affected if Version is 8.1.0-8.1.11 or 8.2.0-8.2.8 (for Enterprise)
  2. Check Splunk Cloud Platform version
    View version information in Splunk Cloud portal under Settings > System > About
    Affected if Version is below 9.0.2203 (for Cloud)
  3. Verify tstats command availability
    Confirm tstats is enabled: check $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/default/commands.conf or search for tstats in Settings > Commands
    Affected if tstats command is available to users who could be targeted by phishing attempts
  4. Review Splunk Web configuration
    Check if Splunk Web (splunkd) is exposed externally by reviewing web.conf: $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/default/web.conf
    Affected if Splunk Web is accessible from untrusted networks without proper authentication restrictions

You are affected if your Splunk version falls within 8.1.0-8.1.11, 8.2.0-8.2.8 (Enterprise), or below 9.0.2203 (Cloud), and tstats is accessible to users who could be tricked into clicking malicious links.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.1.12 / 8.2.9 / 9.0.2203 or later
Fixed in 8.1.128.2.99.0.2203
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.9, 8.1.12, or later to patch the vulnerability. Until patched, exercise caution with links and requests originating from untrusted sources, as the exploit requires social engineering to trigger.

Recommended fix High confidence

Splunk Enterprise: 8.1.12 or 8.2.9; Splunk Cloud Platform: 9.0.2203

  1. Identify the current Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform version in use
  2. For Splunk Enterprise 8.1.x: Upgrade to version 8.1.12 or later
  3. For Splunk Enterprise 8.2.x: Upgrade to version 8.2.9 or later
  4. For Splunk Cloud Platform: Ensure version is 9.0.2203 or later
  5. After upgrade, verify the tstats command now properly handles JSON within SPL safeguards
  6. Review SPL safeguards configuration to ensure protections are active
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - review Splunk release notes for breaking changes between current and target versions before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Splunk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-43565 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-43565 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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