CVE-2026-76298 in Splunk
Summary
by MITRE • 10/22/2026
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.4.4 and 10.2.8, a user who does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could derive the PostgreSQL sidecar database superuser password and run arbitrary operating system commands as the user account running Splunk Enterprise on search head cluster members. The vulnerability is possible because the PostgreSQL sidecar service derives a privileged database password from the search head cluster identifier that appears in search job logs. For more information see About configuring role-based user access (https://help.splunk.com/en/splunk-enterprise/administer/manage-users-and-security/10.2/manage-splunk-platform-users-and-roles/about-configuring-role-based-user-access), server.conf (https://help.splunk.com/en/splunk-enterprise/administer/admin-manual/10.2/configuration-file-reference/10.2.0-configuration-file-reference/server.conf), and Sidecar configuration settings (https://help.splunk.com/en/splunk-enterprise/administer/admin-manual/10.4/splunk-sidecars/sidecar-configuration-settings) in the Splunk documentation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2026
A critical privilege escalation vulnerability exists within Splunk Enterprise versions prior to 10.4.4 and 10.2.8, allowing unprivileged users to achieve arbitrary code execution on search head cluster members. This flaw stems from a fundamental design error in how the PostgreSQL sidecar service manages authentication credentials for its internal database connections. Specifically, the system derives the superuser password for the PostgreSQL instance using a deterministic algorithm based on the search head cluster identifier. Because this cluster identifier is embedded within searchable data structures such as search job logs, any user with access to view these logs can extract the necessary input value required to reconstruct the privileged database password. This mechanism fails to adhere to the principle of least privilege and introduces a severe information disclosure risk that directly translates into remote code execution capabilities for attackers who would otherwise be restricted by role-based access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, as it effectively bypasses Splunk's intended security boundaries regarding user roles. Under normal circumstances, users without admin or power privileges are restricted from performing administrative actions or accessing sensitive system configurations. However, the ability to derive the PostgreSQL superuser password allows an attacker to authenticate directly to the database backend running on the search head cluster member. Once authenticated as a superuser within the PostgreSQL environment, the attacker can leverage specific features of the database software that allow for operating system command execution. This capability enables the compromise of the underlying host machine by executing arbitrary commands under the context of the user account running Splunk Enterprise, potentially leading to full control over the infrastructure hosting the SIEM platform and access to all ingested security data.
From a technical classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-798, which describes the use of hard-coded or weakly derived credentials that can be easily guessed or reconstructed by attackers. The deterministic nature of the password derivation based on publicly accessible log entries constitutes a severe weakness in credential management and key generation practices. Furthermore, the exploitation path maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, as well as T1213, Data from Information Repositories, since the attacker first extracts data (the cluster ID) from logs before using it to execute commands on the host system. This sequence highlights a failure in both input validation for credential generation and output sanitization within log files that are accessible to lower-privileged users.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running affected versions of Splunk Enterprise must immediately upgrade to version 10.4.4 or later, where the password derivation mechanism has been remediated to prevent unauthorized reconstruction of superuser credentials. In addition to upgrading, administrators should review their role-based access control policies as outlined in the official Splunk documentation regarding user and security management. It is advisable to restrict visibility of search job logs containing cluster identifiers to only those users who strictly require such information for operational purposes. Regular auditing of database authentication mechanisms and ensuring that sensitive configuration values are not derivable from accessible log data should be part of a broader defense-in-depth strategy to protect against similar credential-based attacks in enterprise security platforms.