CVE-2026-20296
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 10.4.1, 10.2.5, 10.0.8, and 9.4.13, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.5.2605.0, 10.4.2604.7, 10.3.2512.16, 10.2.2510.18, and 10.1.2507.24, an attacker could trick a user that holds a role with the `list_deployment_server` capability into running arbitrary Search Processing Language (SPL) searches on their behalf as `splunk-system-user`, allowing for access to stored credentials and indexed data.<br><br>The vulnerability is possible because Deployment Server endpoints in Splunk Web do not validate Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) tokens on GET requests, and caller-supplied input is not correctly neutralized before it is placed into an SPL search.
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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 CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) vulnerability in Splunk's Deployment Server endpoints where GET requests do not validate CSRF tokens. An attacker can trick a user with the `list_deployment_server` capability into unknowingly executing attacker-controlled SPL searches as `splunk-system-user`, potentially exposing stored credentials and indexed data due to improper input sanitization in the SPL query construction.
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>= 9.4.0, < 9.4.13>= 10.0.0, < 10.0.8>= 10.2.0, < 10.2.5= 10.4.0>= 10.1.2507, < 10.1.2507.24>= 10.2.2510, < 10.2.2510.18>= 10.3.2512, < 10.3.2512.16>= 10.4.2604, < 10.4.2604.7CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
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 Splunk Enterprise versionRun 'splunk version' command or navigate to Settings > About > About Splunk in the web interface to view the installed versionAffected if Version is >= 9.4.0 and < 9.4.13, OR >= 10.0.0 and < 10.0.8, OR >= 10.2.0 and < 10.2.5, OR equals 10.4.0
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Check if Deployment Server is enabledNavigate to Settings > Server Roles > Deployment Server in the Splunk web interface, or check for 'deployment-server' in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local/server.confAffected if Deployment Server role is enabled on the instance
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Verify list_deployment_server capability existsNavigate to Settings > Users and Authentication > Roles and review if any role includes the 'list_deployment_server' capability, or check $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local/authorize.confAffected if Any role has the list_deployment_server capability assigned to users
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Confirm Deployment Server endpoints are accessibleAttempt to access the Deployment Server REST endpoints at /services/deploymentserver/config or /services/deploymentserver/clients using a browser or curl with valid authenticationAffected if Endpoints return data without requiring CSRF token validation on GET requests
Your environment is likely affected if you are running a vulnerable Splunk version with Deployment Server enabled and users have the list_deployment_server capability, as the CSRF token validation is not enforced on GET requests to these endpoints.
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 · scoped9.4.1310.0.810.1.2507.24
Upgrade Splunk Enterprise to version 10.4.1, 10.2.5, 10.0.8, or 9.4.13 or later, and upgrade Splunk Cloud Platform to the patched version for your respective release track, to address the CSRF token validation and input neutralization issues.
Splunk Enterprise: 10.4.1+ / 10.2.5+ / 10.0.8+ / 9.4.13+; Splunk Cloud Platform: 10.5.2605.0+ / 10.4.2604.7+ / 10.3.2512.16+ / 10.2.2510.18+ / 10.1.2507.24+
- Identify the currently running Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform version
- For Splunk Enterprise: Upgrade to version 10.4.1 or higher, 10.2.5 or higher, 10.0.8 or higher, or 9.4.13 or higher
- For Splunk Cloud Platform: Upgrade to version 10.5.2605.0 or higher, 10.4.2604.7 or higher, 10.3.2512.16 or higher, 10.2.2510.18 or higher, or 10.1.2507.24 or higher
- After upgrade, verify the Deployment Server functionality works correctly
- Review user roles and remove the `list_deployment_server` capability from users who do not absolutely need it to reduce attack surface
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-20296 — 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-2026-20296 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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- 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