Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-20137

Path Traversal in Splunk 9.2.0 – 9.2.9

Published
18 February 2026
Modified
20 February 2026
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 3.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0022 13th percentile
Risk Priority 15 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-20137 is a low-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (CWE-200) vulnerability in Splunk Splunk. Its CVSS base score is 3.5 (Low).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked at the 13th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.2.0, 10.0.3, 9.4.5, 9.3.7, and 9.2.9, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.1.2507.0, 10.0.2503.9, 9.3.2411.112, and 9.3.2408.122, a low-privileged user who does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could bypass the SPL safeguards…

more

for risky commands when they create a Data Model that contains an injected SPL query within an object. They can bypass the safeguards by exploiting a path traversal vulnerability.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
Why these techniques?

Path traversal (CWE-22) combined with info exposure (CWE-200) and risky command bypass directly enables unauthorized file reads that can expose credentials.

Confidence: MEDIUM · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-40597Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2023-32714Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2024-45731Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2024-36991Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2026-11431Shared CWE-200, CWE-22
CVE-2026-49742Shared CWE-200, CWE-22
CVE-2026-9129Shared CWE-200, CWE-22
CVE-2024-45309Shared CWE-200, CWE-22
CVE-2024-46987Shared CWE-200, CWE-22
CVE-2025-68279Shared CWE-200, CWE-22

Affected Assets

splunk
splunk
9.2.0 — 9.2.9 · 9.3.0 — 9.3.7 · 9.4.0 — 9.4.5
splunk
splunk cloud platform
10.1.2507 · 9.3.2408 — 9.3.2408.122 · 9.3.2411 — 9.3.2411.112 · 10.0.2503 — 10.0.2503.9

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • AC-3 Access Enforcement
  • SI-10 Information Input Validation
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 7 hardening rules · 6 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V10.4.9
  • V11.7.1
  • V14.1.2
  • V14.2.4

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

prevent

Directly enforces SPL command safeguards and role-based restrictions so a low-privileged user cannot create a Data Model containing an injected risky query.

prevent

Validates all user-supplied SPL fragments and pathnames inside Data Model objects, blocking the path-traversal injection that bypasses command safeguards.

prevent

Ensures the minimal set of privileges needed to create Data Models does not include the ability to embed or execute risky SPL commands.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

PR.AA-05 directly enforces least-privilege authorization that blocks most unauthorized disclosures, yet CWE-200 also arises from logging, error messages, and side-channel paths that access controls alone do not address.

PR.DS-10 mostly match
prevents

PR.DS-10 mostly prevents CWE-200 by directly eliminating unauthorized access to sensitive data-in-use, yet only partially addresses the weakness because CWE-200 spans many other exposure vectors outside runtime protection.

PR.IR-01 mostly match
prevents

PR.IR-01's segmentation/zero-trust controls largely eliminate network-level unauthorized access paths that enable exposure, yet CWE-200 spans many additional vectors (API responses, logs, app logic) that network controls alone cannot close.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices catch most exposure flaws via design, testing and release controls, yet CWE-200 spans runtime/config issues a single development outcome cannot fully close.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

PR.AA-01 supplies proper credential lifecycle controls that reduce unauthorized access paths, yet leaves many other exposure vectors (error messages, logging, side channels, etc.) unaddressed.

PR.AA-03 partial match
prevents

Authentication verifies actor identity and is a prerequisite for access decisions, yet addresses only one facet of the broad set of exposure vectors in CWE-200.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Restricting anonymous or unknown access and encrypting high-value information limits the exposure of sensitive data that would otherwise be obtainable by unauthorized actors.

prevents

Suppressing system details, error specifics, and previous log-on information until successful authentication reduces the information an unauthenticated attacker can gather.

prevents

By requiring owners to assign sensitivity labels and corresponding handling rules, the control ensures that information is not left unmarked and therefore reduces the chance that sensitive data will be exposed to unauthorized actors.

prevents

Requiring encryption, access controls, and recipient authentication for transfers directly reduces the chance that sensitive data reaches an unauthorized observer.

prevents

Secure delivery, protected storage, and confidentiality of allocation records limit exposure of authentication material to unauthorized observers.

prevents

Requiring defined procedures, assigned roles, and technical/organizational measures for handling PII reduces the chance that sensitive personal data will be exposed to unauthorized actors through inadequate handling or missing safeguards.

References