VulnerabilityPublished 11 Mar 2026Updated 12 Mar 2026

CVE-2026-20165: Splunk Enterprise · Sensitive Data in Logs

Affects Splunk EnterpriseSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.3 Medium · fixed in 10.2.1 : update Splunk Enterprise when convenient.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 7% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 10.2.1, 10.0.4, 9.4.9 +5

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: Low

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on the impacted component.
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Mar 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade Splunk to 10.2.1, 10.0.4, 9.4.9 or 9.3.10 (Enterprise); 10.2.2510.7, 10.1.2507.17, 10.0.2503.12 or 9.3.2411.124 (Cloud Platform).

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
SplunkSplunk Enterprise	Affected >=10.2 <10.2.1	Fixed in 10.2.1
SplunkSplunk Enterprise	Affected >=10.0 <10.0.4	Fixed in 10.0.4
SplunkSplunk Enterprise	Affected >=9.4 <9.4.9	Fixed in 9.4.9
SplunkSplunk Enterprise	Affected >=9.3 <9.3.10	Fixed in 9.3.10
SplunkSplunk Cloud Platform	Affected >=10.2.2510 <10.2.2510.7	Fixed in 10.2.2510.7
SplunkSplunk Cloud Platform	Affected >=10.1.2507 <10.1.2507.17	Fixed in 10.1.2507.17

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2026-20165, organizations should immediately upgrade affected Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform instances to the fixed versions: 10.2.1 or later for Enterprise, and the corresponding patched Cloud Platform releases. If you cannot patch yet, restrict access to Splunk job search logs by enforcing strict role-based access controls, ensuring that only trusted administrators have permissions to view sensitive logs. Review and minimize the logging of sensitive information in job search logs where possible. Implement monitoring and alerting for unusual access patterns to logs by low-privileged users. Conduct regular audits of Splunk roles and permissions to prevent privilege escalation. Additionally, consider network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of Splunk management interfaces. Maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly address any exploitation attempts. Finally, stay informed on vendor advisories and community reports for any emerging exploits or mitigation techniques.

Description

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.2.1, 10.0.4, 9.4.9, and 9.3.10, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.2.2510.7, 10.1.2507.17, 10.0.2503.12, and 9.3.2411.124, a low-privileged user that does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could retrieve sensitive information by inspecting the job's search log due to improper access control in the MongoClient logging channel.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2026-20165 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information through log files accessible to low-privileged users. This can compromise confidentiality by exposing user data or internal system details that could be leveraged by attackers to escalate privileges or conduct targeted attacks. Integrity and availability impacts are also possible if attackers use the information to manipulate or disrupt Splunk operations. Organizations relying on Splunk for security monitoring and log management may face increased risk of data breaches, compliance violations, and operational disruptions. The exposure of sensitive logs can undermine trust in the security posture and may lead to regulatory penalties if personal or sensitive data is leaked. Since Splunk is often deployed in critical infrastructure, financial, healthcare, and government sectors, the impact could be severe in environments with high-value data or stringent security requirements.

CWE-532Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A09:2025: Security Logging & Alerting Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product writes sensitive information to a log file.
Architecture and Design · Implementation
Consider seriously the sensitivity of the information written into log files. Do not write secrets into the log files.
Distribution
Remove debug log files before deploying the application into production.
Operation
Protect log files against unauthorized read/write.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Application Logging Vocabulary (opens in a new tab)
Logging (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V7.1.1 (opens in a new tab)
V7.1.2 (opens in a new tab)
V8.3.5 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Fuzzing for application mapping (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2026-0304 (opens in a new tab)

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 18 Mar 2026, 19:09 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-532

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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