CVE-2023-32713
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 App for Stream versions below 8.1.1, a low-privileged user could use a vulnerability in the streamfwd process within the Splunk App for Stream to escalate their privileges on the machine that runs the Splunk Enterprise instance, up to and including the root user.
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 confidenceA privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the streamfwd process of the Splunk App for Stream versions prior to 8.1.1. A low-privileged user on the machine running Splunk Enterprise can exploit this vulnerability to gain root-level privileges, effectively allowing complete system compromise.
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< 8.1.1CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Identify if Splunk App for Stream is installedLocate the Splunk App for Stream installation directory, typically found under $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/streamfwd or $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/ Splunk_App_for_Stream. Check for the presence of the stream app directory.Affected if The stream app directory exists in the Splunk etc/apps folder, indicating the Splunk App for Stream is installed.
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Determine installed version of Splunk App for StreamLocate the app.conf or default/app.conf file within the stream app directory. Read the 'version' field from the [default] stanza in that file.Affected if The version number listed is less than 8.1.1 (for example, 8.1.0, 8.0.x, or earlier).
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Verify if streamfwd process is runningRun 'ps aux | grep streamfwd' or check the Splunk management interface for running processes. The streamfwd forwarder is the specific component containing the vulnerability.Affected if The streamfwd process is actively running on the system.
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Check streamfwd process privilegesRun 'ps -ef | grep streamfwd' to view the streamfwd process owner and execute 'ls -la' on the streamfwd binary to check file permissions and ownership.Affected if The streamfwd process runs with root-level privileges or owns files with overly permissive settings (such as world-writable permissions or SUID bits).
A system is affected if the Splunk App for Stream is installed with a version prior to 8.1.1 and the streamfwd process is running, as this creates the condition for a low-privileged user to escalate to root privileges.
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 · scoped8.1.1
Upgrade the Splunk App for Stream to version 8.1.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the streamfwd process and the Splunk Enterprise host to trusted personnel only.
Splunk App for Stream 8.1.1
- 1. Download Splunk App for Stream version 8.1.1 or later from the Splunkbase marketplace or official Splunk distribution channels
- 2. Back up the current Splunk App for Stream configuration and data directory before upgrading
- 3. Navigate to Splunk Enterprise Settings > Apps > Install app from file
- 4. Upload and install the downloaded Splunk App for Stream package (select 'Upgrade' if prompted)
- 5. Restart the Splunk Enterprise instance to ensure all components load properly
- 6. Verify the installation by checking the Splunk App for Stream version in Apps > Manage Apps to confirm version 8.1.1 or later is installed
- 7. Verify the streamfwd process runs with appropriate privileges and no unauthorized access exists
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32713 — 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-2023-32713 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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