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SplunkApplication

CVE-2023-40597

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.2.12 / 9.0.6 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Zero-click

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 lower than 8.2.12, 9.0.6, and 9.1.1, an attacker can exploit an absolute path traversal to execute arbitrary code that is located on a separate disk.

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 confidence

An absolute path traversal vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise versions before 8.2.12, 9.0.6, and 9.1.1 allows authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code located on a separate disk partition by manipulating file path references.

MitigationUpgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.12, 9.0.6, 9.1.1 or later. Restrict access to Splunk management interfaces and enforce authentication for all users until patching is complete.

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:>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.12>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6= 9.1.0
Splunk Cloud PlatformApplication
Affected:<= 9.0.2305.100

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check Splunk Enterprise version
    Access the Splunk web interface and view the version in 'Settings > About' or check the $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/splunk.version file
    Affected if The installed version is 8.2.0-8.2.11, 9.0.0-9.0.5, or 9.1.0 (or for Cloud, version 9.0.2305.100 or earlier) and the Splunk management interface is accessible over the network with authentication enabled
  2. Verify Splunk management port accessibility
    Check if port 8089 (splunkd) or port 8000 (Splunk Web) is exposed to the network and accessible
    Affected if The management interface is reachable from untrusted networks without proper network segmentation
  3. Confirm authentication is enforced
    Review 'Settings > Authentication' settings in Splunk and verify that anonymous access is disabled in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/default/web.conf
    Affected if Anonymous authentication is enabled or if low-privilege users can access endpoints that handle file path parameters
  4. Check for custom apps exposing file handling endpoints
    Review installed apps in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/ and check for custom scripts or endpoints that accept file path parameters without validation
    Affected if Custom apps contain endpoints that handle file references without proper path validation

You are affected if your Splunk Enterprise version falls within 8.2.0-8.2.11, 9.0.0-9.0.5, or 9.1.0 (or Cloud Platform <=9.0.2305.100) AND the management interface is network-accessible to authenticated users who could manipulate file path references.

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 8.2.12 / 9.0.6 or later
Fixed in 8.2.129.0.6
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 8.2.12, 9.0.6, 9.1.1 or later. Restrict access to Splunk management interfaces and enforce authentication for all users until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Splunk Enterprise 8.2.12, 9.0.6, or 9.1.1 (or later) depending on your current major version branch; for Splunk Cloud, request upgrade to version receiving the patch

  1. Review Splunk upgrade documentation at docs.splunk.com for your current version
  2. Create a full backup of your Splunk installation directory and configuration files
  3. Stop the Splunk service before upgrading
  4. Download the appropriate Splunk Enterprise upgrade package for your version from splunk.com/downloads
  5. Install the upgrade following Splunk's standard upgrade procedure (or use the installer for your OS)
  6. Start the Splunk service and verify it runs successfully
  7. Verify the Splunk web interface is accessible and functioning
  8. Test critical Splunk functionality to ensure the upgrade did not break existing workflows
Caveat Review Splunk release notes for your target version as there may be feature changes or configuration adjustments required; always test in a non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Splunk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-40597 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