CVE-2016-4858 in Splunk
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Splunk Enterprise 6.4.x prior to 6.4.2, Splunk Enterprise 6.3.x prior to 6.3.6, Splunk Enterprise 6.2.x prior to 6.2.10, Splunk Enterprise 6.1.x prior to 6.1.11, Splunk Enterprise 6.0.x prior to 6.0.12, Splunk Enterprise 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16 and Splunk Light prior to 6.4.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2020
The CVE-2016-4858 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting multiple versions of Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Light products. This vulnerability resides within the web application interface of Splunk's enterprise monitoring platform, which is widely deployed across organizations for log aggregation, monitoring, and security analytics. The flaw enables remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data processed through the Splunk platform. Given Splunk's role in security operations and log management, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations relying on the platform for critical infrastructure monitoring and threat detection.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within Splunk's web interface components. Attackers can exploit unspecified vectors to inject malicious JavaScript code or HTML content that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they access affected Splunk pages. This weakness falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a reflected XSS vulnerability where malicious input is immediately reflected back to users without proper sanitization. The vulnerability affects multiple product versions spanning from Splunk Enterprise 5.0.x through 6.4.x, indicating a prolonged period of exposure across the product lifecycle. The attack vector leverages the web application's handling of user-supplied data, where input parameters are not properly escaped or validated before being rendered in web responses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal authentication tokens, redirect users to malicious sites, or exfiltrate sensitive information from the Splunk environment. Organizations utilizing Splunk for security monitoring may find their threat detection capabilities compromised as attackers could manipulate log data or inject false alerts to evade detection. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where Splunk is used for security information and event management, as it could allow attackers to manipulate security dashboards, hide malicious activities, or gain unauthorized access to sensitive monitoring data. Given that Splunk systems often contain critical operational and security logs, successful exploitation could lead to significant data breaches or operational disruption. The vulnerability also impacts Splunk Light deployments, which are commonly used in smaller organizations and may have fewer security controls in place.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4858 involve immediate patching of affected Splunk versions to the recommended secure releases including Splunk Enterprise 5.0.16, 6.0.12, 6.1.11, 6.2.10, 6.3.6, and 6.4.2. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Splunk web interfaces, deploy web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious script injections, and conduct regular security assessments of Splunk configurations. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict input validation policies, disabling unnecessary web features, and monitoring for anomalous user behavior or unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for Phishing and T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, as it exploits web application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code in user browsers. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure readiness for potential exploitation of this vulnerability in their monitoring environments.