CVE-2022-43564 in Splunk
Summary
by MITRE • 11/05/2022
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 8.1.12, 8.2.9, and 9.0.2, a remote user who can create search macros and schedule search reports can cause a denial of service through the use of specially crafted search macros.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2022
This vulnerability exists within Splunk Enterprise software where unauthenticated remote attackers with permissions to create search macros and schedule reports can trigger a denial of service condition. The flaw specifically affects versions prior to 8.1.12, 8.2.9, and 9.0.2, representing a critical security gap that allows malicious actors to disrupt normal system operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the search macro processing mechanism, which fails to properly handle malformed or specially crafted macro definitions that can cause the underlying search engine to crash or become unresponsive.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of search macro functionality where attackers can craft malicious macro definitions that, when processed by the Splunk search scheduler, cause system resources to become exhausted or trigger internal errors that result in service disruption. This type of vulnerability maps to CWE-400 which covers excessive resource consumption, and also aligns with CWE-129 which addresses improper validation of array indices. The attack vector requires minimal privileges as it only necessitates the ability to create search macros and schedule reports, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to these capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can lead to complete system unavailability for legitimate users who rely on Splunk for log analysis and monitoring. When exploited, the denial of service condition can cause the Splunk instance to become unresponsive, requiring manual intervention to restore normal operations, potentially resulting in significant downtime and loss of visibility into system activities. The vulnerability affects the core search and reporting functionality of Splunk, which represents a fundamental component of the platform's value proposition, making it particularly impactful for organizations that depend heavily on Splunk for security monitoring and compliance reporting.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions 8.1.12, 8.2.9, and 9.0.2 as recommended by Splunk. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing stricter access controls to limit who can create search macros and schedule reports, particularly in multi-tenant environments. Network segmentation and monitoring of search macro creation activities can provide early detection of potential exploitation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with T1499.004 which covers network disruption and T1566.001 which covers spearphishing via social media, as the attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely. Security teams should also implement automated patch management processes to ensure rapid deployment of security updates across all Splunk instances within their environment.