CVE-2024-36985
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 9.2.2, 9.1.5, and 9.0.10, a low-privileged user that does not hold the admin or power Splunk roles could cause a Remote Code Execution through an external lookup that references the “splunk_archiver“ application.
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 confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability exists in Splunk Enterprise where low-privileged users (non-admin, non-power roles) can achieve RCE through external lookups that reference the 'splunk_archiver' application. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation or privilege escalation in the lookup functionality, allowing authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via crafted lookup configurations.
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>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.10>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.5>= 9.2.0, < 9.2.2CVSS 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.
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Check installed Splunk Enterprise versionRun 'splunk version' from the Splunk bin directory or access About > Version in the Splunk web interfaceAffected if The version falls within >=9.0.0 and <9.0.10, >=9.1.0 and <9.1.5, or >=9.2.0 and <9.2.2
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Verify external lookup functionality is accessibleNavigate to Settings > Lookups > Lookup table files or check $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/lookups/ and $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/ for .csv or .kmz lookup files accessible to non-admin usersAffected if External lookups are enabled and accessible to low-privileged users (non-admin, non-power roles)
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Inspect splunk_archiver application lookupsCheck the splunk_archiver app directory (typically in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/splunk_archiver/) for lookup definitions in default/lookups/ or local/ and review any .conf files referencing external lookupsAffected if The splunk_archiver app is installed and contains external lookup configurations that can be triggered by low-privileged users
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Review user role permissions for lookup accessAccess Settings > Users and authentication > Roles or inspect authorization.conf to verify which roles have 'lookup' capabilities enabled, particularly for non-admin/non-power usersAffected if Low-privileged users (with roles other than admin or power) have lookup file write or edit capabilities
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Audit recent lookup configuration changesSearch Splunk internal logs (index=_internal) for events involving 'lookup' and 'splunk_archiver' or check conf files in etc/apps/splunk_archiver/local/ for unexpected external command definitionsAffected if Recent modifications to lookup configurations reference external commands or scripts callable by standard users
Your environment is affected if you run a vulnerable Splunk Enterprise version AND external lookups referencing the splunk_archiver app are accessible to non-admin, non-power users who can modify lookup configurations.
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 · scoped9.0.109.1.59.2.2
Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.2.2, 9.1.5, or 9.0.10 or later to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, restrict external lookup functionality and review user permissions until the upgrade can be completed.
Upgrade to Splunk Enterprise 9.0.10, 9.1.5, or 9.2.2 (or latest available in your release line)
- Identify the current Splunk Enterprise version by checking $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/splunk.version or via the Splunk web interface (Settings > About > Version)
- Review Splunk upgrade documentation and ensure compatibility with existing apps/add-ons
- Create a full backup of the Splunk environment including $SPLUNK_HOME directory and configuration files
- Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first
- Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 9.0.10 or later (for 9.0.x installs), 9.1.5 or later (for 9.1.x installs), or 9.2.2 or later (for 9.2.x installs)
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Splunk web interface and confirming all apps are functioning
- Validate that the low-privileged user can no longer achieve RCE through external lookups referencing splunk_archiver
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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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-36985 — 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-2024-36985 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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