CVE-2022-43568 is a high-severity reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability affecting Splunk Enterprise versions prior to 8.1.12, 8.2.9, and 9.0.2. The vulnerability arises from improper neutralization of input during web page generation (CWE-79). Specifically, a view in Splunk Enterprise improperly handles JSON data passed via a query parameter when the output_mode is set to 'radio'. This improper input sanitization allows an attacker to inject malicious JavaScript code that is reflected back to the user’s browser. Since the vulnerability is reflected XSS, it requires the victim to interact with a crafted URL or link containing the malicious payload. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 reflects the high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, but user interaction needed. Exploitation could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or execution of arbitrary scripts in the context of the victim’s browser session, potentially allowing attackers to pivot within the affected environment or exfiltrate sensitive data. Although no known exploits in the wild have been reported, the vulnerability’s presence in widely deployed Splunk Enterprise versions makes it a significant risk, especially in environments where Splunk dashboards or views are accessible to untrusted or semi-trusted users. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of Splunk Enterprise, indicating a broad scope of impact until patched versions are deployed.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-43568 can be substantial due to Splunk Enterprise’s widespread use in security information and event management (SIEM), log aggregation, and operational intelligence. Successful exploitation could compromise the confidentiality of sensitive logs and monitoring data, integrity of security alerts and dashboards, and availability of the Splunk web interface. This could lead to unauthorized access to security telemetry, enabling attackers to evade detection or manipulate incident response processes. Organizations in critical infrastructure sectors, financial services, telecommunications, and government agencies are particularly at risk, as they rely heavily on Splunk for security monitoring. The reflected XSS could be used as an initial vector for further attacks, including phishing or lateral movement within networks. The requirement for user interaction means that social engineering or targeted spear-phishing campaigns could be used to trick users into triggering the exploit. Given the high CVSS score and the critical role of Splunk in security operations, the vulnerability poses a significant threat to the security posture of European enterprises and public sector entities.

1. Immediate upgrade to patched versions of Splunk Enterprise: 8.1.12, 8.2.9, or 9.0.2 or later, as these versions contain fixes for the reflected XSS vulnerability. 2. Implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-supplied data, especially query parameters processed by views with output_mode=radio, to prevent injection of malicious scripts. 3. Restrict access to Splunk web interfaces to trusted internal networks or VPNs, reducing exposure to untrusted users who might exploit the vulnerability. 4. Employ Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to limit the execution of unauthorized scripts in the browser context of Splunk users. 5. Educate users and administrators about the risks of clicking on untrusted links and the importance of verifying URLs before interaction. 6. Monitor Splunk logs and web access logs for unusual or suspicious query parameters that could indicate attempted exploitation. 7. Use web application firewalls (WAF) with rules designed to detect and block reflected XSS payloads targeting Splunk interfaces. 8. Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on web interface vulnerabilities to identify and remediate similar issues proactively.