CVE-2026-76394 in AI Toolkit
Summary
by MITRE • 08/20/2026
In Splunk AI Toolkit versions below 6.0.0, a low-privileged user who does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could start, stop, and configure containers, and read or modify connection and configuration data through the Representational State Transfer (REST) API. The missing authorization is possible because multiple REST API handlers in Splunk AI Toolkit do not enforce authorization checks. For more information see Troubleshoot the Splunk Machine Learning Toolkit (https://help.splunk.com/en/splunk-cloud-platform/apply-machine-learning/machine-learning-toolkit-user-guide/5.5.0/troubleshooting-mltk/troubleshoot-the-splunk-machine-learning-toolkit) in the Splunk documentation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/20/2026
The vulnerability identified in Splunk AI Toolkit versions prior to 6.0.0 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms, specifically manifesting as broken object level authorization and insufficient role management within the application's REST API layer. This flaw allows users with low-privileged roles, who explicitly lack administrative or power-level permissions such as admin or power, to execute privileged operations that should be strictly reserved for higher-tier accounts. The core technical deficiency lies in the implementation of multiple Representational State Transfer (REST) API handlers within the Splunk AI Toolkit framework, which fail to enforce mandatory authorization checks before processing requests related to container lifecycle management and configuration data access. Consequently, an attacker or malicious insider with basic user privileges can bypass standard security boundaries designed to segregate administrative functions from general operational tasks.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability enables unauthorized actors to start, stop, and configure containers through the API endpoints exposed by the toolkit. These operations typically require elevated system-level permissions because they involve interacting with underlying infrastructure components that manage computational resources for machine learning workloads. Furthermore, the lack of proper access control extends to data integrity protections, allowing low-privileged users to read sensitive connection details and modify configuration settings. This capability compromises both confidentiality and integrity within the Splunk environment, as attackers can potentially extract credentials or alter system parameters to disrupt service availability or redirect traffic. The absence of these checks indicates a systemic oversight in the application's security architecture where input validation and permission verification were not adequately implemented across all API endpoints associated with container management and configuration storage.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, as it undermines the principle of least privilege that underpins secure enterprise deployments of Splunk platforms. By allowing low-privileged users to manipulate containers and configurations, an attacker can potentially cause denial of service by stopping critical services or consuming excessive resources through misconfigured container settings. Additionally, the ability to read connection data may expose internal network topology details or authentication secrets, facilitating further lateral movement within the organization's infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management and CWE-862 Missing Authorization in the Common Weakness Enumeration database, highlighting a fundamental gap in enforcing role-based access controls. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this flaw corresponds to techniques found in MITRE ATT&CK such as T1078 Valid Accounts for initial access escalation or T1530 Data from Cloud Storage if sensitive configuration data is exfiltrated, demonstrating how application-level flaws can be leveraged to compromise broader system integrity.
To mitigate this risk, organizations running Splunk AI Toolkit must immediately upgrade to version 6.0.0 or later where these authorization checks have been properly implemented and enforced by the vendor. Until an upgrade is feasible, administrators should restrict network access to the REST API endpoints associated with the toolkit using firewall rules or reverse proxy configurations that limit exposure to trusted internal networks only. It is also advisable to audit existing user roles within Splunk to ensure that no low-privileged accounts have been inadvertently granted excessive permissions through custom role definitions. Regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on API endpoint authorization logic should be conducted to identify similar gaps in other integrated tools, ensuring a robust defense-in-depth strategy against privilege escalation attacks.