Overview
CVE-2025-20385 is a reported Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform. Specifically, a user with the high-privilege `admin_all_objects` capability can inject malicious JavaScript code via a crafted payload within the `href` attribute of an anchor tag in the navigation bar. This code can then be executed in the browser of another user interacting with the same navigation bar.
Technical Details
The vulnerability lies in the way Splunk handles user-defined content within the navigation bar’s collections. A user possessing the `admin_all_objects` capability, which grants broad administrative privileges, can manipulate the `href` attribute of anchor tags within a navigation collection. By injecting malicious JavaScript code into this attribute, an attacker can execute arbitrary scripts in the context of another user’s browser when that user interacts with the compromised navigation element. This is a stored XSS vulnerability, meaning the malicious payload is stored within Splunk’s configuration and executed repeatedly whenever the affected navigation element is rendered.
CVSS Analysis
The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.x score of 2.4, indicating a low severity. The CVSS vector is likely AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N (example; actual vector may vary slightly). This score is primarily due to the requirement of high privileges (`admin_all_objects`) for exploitation and the user interaction required for the malicious script to execute. While the impact is limited to potentially defacing the Splunk interface or redirecting users to malicious sites, it’s still a security concern that should be addressed.
Possible Impact
While rated as low severity, successful exploitation of CVE-2025-20385 can have several negative consequences:
- UI Defacement: The attacker can modify the appearance of the Splunk interface for other users.
- Phishing: Users could be redirected to phishing websites designed to steal credentials.
- Limited Information Disclosure: Depending on browser security policies, the attacker might be able to access limited information from the user’s Splunk session.
It’s important to note that the requirement for `admin_all_objects` significantly limits the scope of potential attackers. However, compromised administrator accounts are a common occurrence, making this vulnerability relevant.
Mitigation and Patch Steps
The recommended mitigation is to upgrade to one of the following Splunk versions or later:
- Splunk Enterprise: 10.0.2, 9.4.6, 9.3.8, 9.2.10
- Splunk Cloud Platform: 10.1.2507.6, 10.0.2503.7, 9.3.2411.117
Follow the standard Splunk upgrade procedures to ensure a smooth and secure update. Consider implementing role-based access controls to minimize the number of users with the `admin_all_objects` capability.
