Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-20163

RCE in Splunk Cloud Platform 9.3.2411 – 9.3.2411.124

RCECommand Injection
Published
11 March 2026
Modified
24 March 2026
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 7.2
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0046 38th percentile
Risk Priority 53 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-20163 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) vulnerability in Splunk Splunk Cloud Platform. Its CVSS base score is 7.2 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked at the 38th 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 SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2026-20163 is a command injection vulnerability (CWE-77) affecting Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.2.0, 10.0.4, 9.4.9, and 9.3.10, as well as Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.2.2510.5, 10.0.2503.12, 10.1.2507.16, and 9.3.2411.124. Published on 2026-03-11, the flaw resides in the `/splunkd/__upload/indexing/preview` REST endpoint, where the `unarchive_cmd` parameter enables execution of arbitrary shell commands by users holding roles with the high-privilege `edit_cmd` capability.

Exploitation requires a high-privilege account with the `edit_cmd` capability, accessible over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and unchanged scope (S:U). Successful attacks yield high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H), earning a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2.

Splunk advisory SVD-2026-0302 details mitigation, recommending upgrades to Splunk Enterprise 10.2.0, 10.0.4, 9.4.9, 9.3.10 or later, and Splunk Cloud Platform 10.2.2510.5, 10.0.2503.12, 10.1.2507.16, 9.3.2411.124 or later to address the issue.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A05:2025 Injection

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.2.0, 10.0.4, 9.4.9, and 9.3.10, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.2.2510.5, 10.0.2503.12, 10.1.2507.16, and 9.3.2411.124, a user who holds a role that contains the high-privilege capability `edit_cmd` could execute arbitrary shell commands using the…

more

`unarchive_cmd` parameter for the `/splunkd/__upload/indexing/preview` REST endpoint.

CWE(s)
CWE-77

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
attack.mitre.org →
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.003 Windows Command Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse the Windows command shell for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
attack.mitre.org →
T1059.008 Network Device CLI Execution
Adversaries may abuse scripting or built-in command line interpreters (CLI) on network devices to execute malicious command and payloads.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

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CVE-2023-22937Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2026-20240Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2026-20254Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2023-22934Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2026-20257Same product: Splunk Splunk
CVE-2026-20256Same product: Splunk Splunk

Affected Assets

splunk
splunk
9.3.0 — 9.3.10 · 9.4.0 — 9.4.9 · 10.0.0 — 10.0.4
splunk
splunk cloud platform
9.3.2411 — 9.3.2411.124 · 10.0.2503 — 10.0.2503.12 · 10.1.2507 — 10.1.2507.16

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.2.3
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V1.2.9

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SA-11 Developer Testing and Evaluation good match

Developer testing and evaluation can discover command-construction flaws before deployment.

SI-10 Information Input Validation good match

Input validation directly stops construction of commands from untrusted data containing special elements.

SA-8 Security and Privacy Engineering Principles partial match

Secure engineering principles include proper neutralization and safe command construction practices.

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.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.

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.

A.8.28 Secure coding mostly match
prevents

Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.

A.8.31 Separation of development, test and production environments none match
none

Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.

References