Overview
CVE-2025-20388 is a low-severity vulnerability affecting Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform. It allows a user with the change_authentication capability to potentially enumerate internal IP addresses and network ports when adding new search peers to a Splunk search head in a distributed environment. This vulnerability could be exploited to gather information about the internal network infrastructure.
Technical Details
The vulnerability exists because a user possessing the change_authentication capability, when adding a search peer, can trigger functionality that exposes internal network details. Specifically, the process of adding a new search peer involves communication with that peer, and the way this communication is handled in the affected Splunk versions allows for the observation of network information that should otherwise be protected. The exposed information includes internal IP addresses and potentially open ports on the target systems.
Affected versions include:
- Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.0.1, 9.4.6, 9.3.8, and 9.2.10
- Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.1.2507.4, 10.0.2503.7, and 9.3.2411.116
CVSS Analysis
The vulnerability has a CVSS v3 score of 2.7. The CVSS vector string is not publicly available, but the low score indicates a low impact and exploitability. The low severity reflects the fact that it requires a specific privilege (change_authentication), and the resulting information disclosure is limited to internal network details, not direct access to sensitive data. The attack complexity is likely high, requiring specific actions within the Splunk interface to trigger the information disclosure.
Possible Impact
While the CVSS score is low, the enumeration of internal IP addresses and ports can still aid an attacker in reconnaissance. This information can be used to identify potential targets for further attacks, map the internal network infrastructure, and potentially discover vulnerable services running on specific hosts. The risk is amplified if the attacker already has some level of access to the Splunk environment, as the change_authentication capability provides a foothold for further exploration.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is crucial to upgrade your Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform instance to one of the following versions (or later):
- Splunk Enterprise: 10.0.1, 9.4.6, 9.3.8, 9.2.10
- Splunk Cloud Platform: 10.1.2507.4, 10.0.2503.7, 9.3.2411.116
Regularly review and audit user roles and capabilities, especially the change_authentication capability. Ensure that only authorized users have this privilege, following the principle of least privilege.
