CVE-2023-40595
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 lower than 8.2.12, 9.0.6, and 9.1.1, an attacker can execute a specially crafted query that they can then use to serialize untrusted data. The attacker can use the query to execute arbitrary code.
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 confidenceThis is a serialization vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise where specially crafted queries can serialize untrusted data, leading to arbitrary code execution. The flaw affects versions below 8.2.12, 9.0.6, and 9.1.1, allowing authenticated attackers to run arbitrary code through malicious query input.
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>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.12>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6= 9.1.0<= 9.0.2305.100CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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.
-
Check Splunk Enterprise versionLog into Splunk Web, go to Settings > About, or run: grep -r "version" $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/splunk.version 2>/dev/nullAffected if The installed version is >= 8.2.0 and < 8.2.12, OR >= 9.0.0 and < 9.0.6, OR equals 9.1.0
-
Confirm Splunk Web interface is enabledCheck if Splunk Web service is running: curl -s -k https://localhost:8000/en-US/ | head -20Affected if Splunk Web responds, indicating the web interface is active and query submission is possible
-
Verify authentication method allows search executionLog into Splunk and confirm ability to run a search: navigate to Search & Reporting app and execute a simple search like '| makeresults'Affected if User can successfully run searches, confirming authenticated access to the query interface
If your Splunk Enterprise version falls within 8.2.0-8.2.11, 9.0.0-9.0.5, or 9.1.0 and you have an authenticated user who can run searches, your environment is affected.
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 · scoped8.2.129.0.6
Upgrade to Splunk Enterprise versions 8.2.12, 9.0.6, 9.1.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
8.2.12, 9.0.6, or 9.1.1 (select based on current major version line)
- Identify current Splunk Enterprise version by navigating to Settings > About > Version or running: splunk version
- Schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade process
- Back up Splunk configuration files and any custom apps under $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/
- For Splunk Enterprise: Download the appropriate fixed version from splunk.com (8.2.12, 9.0.6, or 9.1.1 and later)
- Stop Splunk services: $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/splunk stop
- Install the upgrade package using the installer for your operating system
- Start Splunk services: $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/splunk start
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in the web interface
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40595 — 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-2023-40595 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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