CVE-2014-8301 in Splunk
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Splunk Web in Splunk Enterprise 5.0.x before 5.0.10 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the HTTP Referer header.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2022
The CVE-2014-8301 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Splunk Enterprise 5.0.x versions prior to 5.0.10, specifically affecting the Splunk Web interface. This vulnerability resides within the HTTP Referer header processing mechanism, which is a standard HTTP header field that indicates the address of the webpage that linked to the resource being requested. The flaw allows remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within Splunk Web's handling of the Referer header. When a user visits a Splunk Web page, the application processes the Referer header without properly escaping or validating its contents, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript code. This occurs because the application fails to implement proper output encoding or sanitization techniques when rendering the Referer header value in web responses, directly violating established security principles for preventing XSS attacks. The vulnerability is classified as a classic reflected XSS flaw according to CWE-79, which specifically addresses the improper sanitization of user-controllable data that is reflected back to users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations utilizing affected Splunk Enterprise versions, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation. An attacker could craft a malicious URL containing script code within the Referer header and trick users into clicking it, thereby executing the payload in the victim's browser context. This could allow unauthorized access to sensitive monitoring data, configuration information, or even administrative controls within the Splunk environment. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Splunk for security monitoring and log analysis, as compromised systems could provide attackers with access to critical infrastructure monitoring data and potentially facilitate lateral movement within the network.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Splunk Enterprise 5.0.10 or later versions where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper input validation and sanitization of the Referer header. Additional protective measures include implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution, deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious Referer header contents, and conducting thorough security assessments of Splunk configurations to ensure no other similar vulnerabilities exist. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting and T1566 for phishing, as attackers could leverage this flaw to deliver malicious payloads through crafted web traffic. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level monitoring to detect anomalous Referer header patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as well as establishing incident response procedures for handling potential XSS-related security events in Splunk environments.