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Universal ForwarderApplication · Splunk

CVE-2025-20298

HIGH · 8.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.1.9 / 9.2.6 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable

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 Universal Forwarder for Windows versions below 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9, a new installation of or an upgrade to an affected version can result in incorrect permissions assignment in the Universal Forwarder for Windows Installation directory (by default, C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder). This lets non-administrator users on the machine access the directory and all its contents.

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

During new installation or upgrade of Splunk Universal Forwarder for Windows to affected versions (below 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9), incorrect permissions are assigned to the installation directory (C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder), allowing non-administrator users on the machine to access the directory and all its contents.

MitigationUpgrade to Splunk Universal Forwarder version 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, 9.1.9 or later. Alternatively, manually verify and correct filesystem permissions on the installation directory to restrict access to administrators only.

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
Universal ForwarderApplication
Affected:>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.9>= 9.2.0, < 9.2.6>= 9.3.0, < 9.3.4>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.2

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Verify Splunk Universal Forwarder is installed
    Check for the presence of C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder directory, or look in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Splunk\Splunk Universal Forwarder for InstallKey value
    Affected if The installation directory does not exist or Splunk Universal Forwarder is not registered in the registry
  2. Determine installed Splunk Universal Forwarder version
    Check the version by running: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Splunk\Splunk Universal Forwarder" /v Version or inspect the version file in the installation directory (etc\splunk.version)
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: >= 9.1.0 and < 9.1.9, OR >= 9.2.0 and < 9.2.6, OR >= 9.3.0 and < 9.3.4, OR >= 9.4.0 and < 9.4.2
  3. Inspect filesystem permissions on installation directory
    Right-click C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder, go to Properties > Security tab, and review the listed users and groups. Alternatively, run: icacls "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder"
    Affected if Non-administrator users or groups (such as Users, Everyone, or authenticated users) have Read, List, or Write permissions to the directory

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable version of Splunk Universal Forwarder for Windows (9.1.0-9.1.8, 9.2.0-9.2.5, 9.3.0-9.3.3, or 9.4.0-9.4.1) and the installation directory grants access to non-administrator users.

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 9.1.9 / 9.2.6 / 9.3.4 or later
Fixed in 9.1.99.2.69.3.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Splunk Universal Forwarder version 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, 9.1.9 or later. Alternatively, manually verify and correct filesystem permissions on the installation directory to restrict access to administrators only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Minimum: 9.1.9, 9.2.6, 9.3.4, or 9.4.2 depending on your current version branch (recommend latest stable 9.4.2)

  1. Identify the currently installed Universal Forwarder version by checking Add/Remove Programs or running the SplunkForwarder version command
  2. Determine which version branch you are on (9.1.x, 9.2.x, 9.3.x, or 9.4.x)
  3. Download the appropriate fixed version installer from splunk.com: 9.1.9 for 9.1.x, 9.2.6 for 9.2.x, 9.3.4 for 9.3.x, or 9.4.2 for 9.4.x
  4. Stop the Splunk Universal Forwarder service before upgrading
  5. Run the installer with administrator privileges to perform the upgrade
  6. After upgrade, verify that the installation directory (C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder) has correct permissions restricting access to administrator users only
  7. Restart the Splunk Universal Forwarder service and confirm it is functioning correctly
Caveat Standard Splunk upgrade considerations apply - review Splunk documentation for any migration notes between major versions

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

Fix this in Universal Forwarder Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2025-20298 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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