CVE-2024-36985 in Splunk
Summary
by MITRE • 07/01/2024
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 9.2.2, 9.1.5, and 9.0.10, a low-privileged user that does not hold the admin or power Splunk roles could cause a Remote Code Execution through an external lookup that references the “splunk_archiver“ application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2024-36985 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Splunk Enterprise across multiple affected versions. This vulnerability specifically targets systems where low-privileged users without administrative or power roles can exploit a weakness in the external lookup functionality to gain unauthorized code execution capabilities. The flaw is particularly concerning because it allows users with minimal privileges to escalate their access and potentially compromise entire Splunk deployments.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of external lookup configurations that reference the "splunk_archiver" application. When a low-privileged user creates or modifies an external lookup that points to this specific application, the system fails to properly validate the user's permissions or the lookup's security context. This creates an attack vector where maliciously crafted lookups can execute arbitrary code on the Splunk server with the privileges of the Splunk service account. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and privilege validation within the external lookup processing pipeline, which is classified under CWE-20 as "Improper Input Validation" and potentially CWE-78 as "Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command."
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute malicious code, potentially leading to full system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of critical monitoring operations. Organizations relying on Splunk for security information and event management (SIEM) capabilities face significant risk, as compromised Splunk instances can provide attackers with access to sensitive log data, threat intelligence, and operational insights. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal privileges, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to Splunk but should not possess administrative capabilities. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell" and T1078.004 for "Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts" when considering potential lateral movement opportunities.
Organizations must implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to the patched versions 9.2.2, 9.1.5, and 9.0.10 as recommended by Splunk. Additional protective measures should include restricting external lookup configurations to only trusted applications, implementing strict access controls for lookup management, and monitoring for suspicious lookup creation activities. Network segmentation and privilege least-privilege principles should be enforced to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts. Security teams should also conduct thorough audits of existing external lookups to identify and remediate any configurations that reference the vulnerable splunk_archiver application.