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SplunkApplication

CVE-2026-20164

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.3.10 / 9.3.2411.123 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 below 10.2.0, 10.0.3, 9.4.9, and 9.3.10, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.2.2510.5, 10.1.2507.16, 10.0.2503.11, and 9.3.2411.123, a low-privileged user that does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could access the `/splunkd/__raw/servicesNS/-/-/configs/conf-passwords` REST API endpoint, which exposes the hashed or plaintext password values that are stored in the passwords.conf configuration file due to improper access control. This vulnerability could allow for the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive credentials.

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

This is an improper access control vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise and Cloud Platform where low-privileged users (non-admin, non-power roles) can access the /splunkd/__raw/servicesNS/-/-/configs/conf-passwords REST API endpoint. This endpoint exposes hashed or plaintext password values stored in passwords.conf, allowing unauthorized disclosure of sensitive credentials.

MitigationUpgrade to the fixed Splunk versions (Enterprise: 10.2.0, 10.0.3, 9.4.9, 9.3.10+; Cloud Platform: 10.2.2510.5, 10.1.2507.16, 10.0.2503.11, 9.3.2411.123+). As a compensating control, review user role assignments and restrict access to the passwords.conf endpoint 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:>= 9.3.0, < 9.3.10>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.9>= 10.0.0, < 10.0.3
Splunk Cloud PlatformApplication
Affected:>= 9.3.2411, < 9.3.2411.123>= 10.0.2503, < 10.0.2503.11>= 10.1.2507, < 10.1.2507.16>= 10.2.2510, < 10.2.2510.5

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 installed Splunk Enterprise version
    Run `splunk --version` from the Splunk bin directory or access the About page in the Splunk Web UI to identify the exact version number
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 9.3.0 to 9.3.9, 9.4.0 to 9.4.8, or 10.0.0 to 10.0.2
  2. Verify low-privileged user accounts exist
    Use Splunk management CLI: `splunk list user` or access Settings > Users and Roles in Splunk Web UI to identify users with roles other than admin or power
    Affected if Any user account exists with a role that is not admin or power (such as user, analyst, or custom low-privilege roles)
  3. Test vulnerable endpoint access with low-privilege account
    Authenticate with a non-admin/non-power user account and send a GET request to `https://<splunkhost>/splunkd/__raw/servicesNS/-/-/configs/conf-passwords`
    Affected if The request returns HTTP 200 with password configuration data (either hashed or plaintext values in the response body)
  4. Inspect passwords.conf for credential exposure
    Locate passwords.conf file in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local/ or within an app's local directory and examine whether passwords are stored in plaintext or readable hash format
    Affected if The file contains any password entries that low-privileged users could retrieve through the REST API

You are affected if your Splunk version is below the fixed releases AND you have low-privileged users who can successfully query the /splunkd/__raw/servicesNS/-/-/configs/conf-passwords endpoint and obtain password data.

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 9.3.10 / 9.3.2411.123 / 9.4.9 or later
Fixed in 9.3.109.3.2411.1239.4.9
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to the fixed Splunk versions (Enterprise: 10.2.0, 10.0.3, 9.4.9, 9.3.10+; Cloud Platform: 10.2.2510.5, 10.1.2507.16, 10.0.2503.11, 9.3.2411.123+). As a compensating control, review user role assignments and restrict access to the passwords.conf endpoint until patching is complete.

Recommended fix High confidence

Splunk Enterprise: 9.3.10+, 9.4.9+, 10.0.3+ | Splunk Cloud Platform: 9.3.2411.123+, 10.0.2503.11+, 10.1.2507.16+, 10.2.2510.5+

  1. Identify the currently installed Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform version using the Splunk web interface (Settings > About) or by running: splunk version
  2. For Splunk Enterprise: If running 9.3.x, upgrade to 9.3.10 or later; if running 9.4.x, upgrade to 9.4.9 or later; if running 10.0.x, upgrade to 10.0.3 or later; if running 10.1.x or 10.2.x, upgrade to the latest available version
  3. For Splunk Cloud Platform: Contact Splunk Support to request upgrade to the appropriate fixed version based on current deployment (9.3.2411.123, 10.0.2503.11, 10.1.2507.16, or 10.2.2510.5)
  4. After upgrade, verify the fix by confirming that low-privileged users (non-admin, non-power roles) can no longer access the /splunkd/__raw/servicesNS/-/-/configs/conf-passwords endpoint
  5. Review user role assignments to ensure only authorized administrative users have access to credential configurations
Caveat Standard upgrade precautions apply - review Splunk upgrade documentation, test in non-production environment first, and ensure valid backup before upgrading

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

Fix this in Splunk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2026-20164 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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