CVE-2023-32712: splunk Improper Output Neutralization for Logs

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2023-32712 is a high (CVSS 8.6) Improper Output Neutralization for Logs vulnerability in splunk. EPSS estimates a 0.34% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 26.1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 01-06-2023
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 28-02-2025
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 9.1.0.2, 9.0.5.1, and 8.2.11.2, an attacker can inject American National Standards Institute (ANSI) escape codes into Splunk log files that, when a vulnerable terminal application reads them, can potentially, at worst, result in possible code execution in the vulnerable application. This attack requires a user to use a terminal application that supports the translation of ANSI escape codes to read the malicious log file locally in the vulnerable terminal, and to perform additional user interaction to exploit. Universal Forwarder versions 9.1.0.1, 9.0.5, 8.2.11, and lower can be vulnerable in situations where they have management services active and accessible over the network. Universal Forwarder versions 9.0.x and 9.1.x bind management services to the local machine and are not vulnerable in this specific configuration. See SVD-2022-0605 for more information. Universal Forwarder versions 9.1 use Unix Domain Sockets (UDS) for communication, which further reduces the potential attack surface. The vulnerability does not directly affect Splunk Enterprise or Universal Forwarder. The indirect impact on Splunk Enterprise and Universal Forwarder can vary significantly depending on the permissions in the vulnerable terminal application and where and how the user reads the malicious log file. For example, users can copy the malicious file from the Splunk Enterprise instance and read it on their local machine.

• CWE-117Improper Output Neutralization for LogsThe product constructs a log message from external input, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements when the message is written to a log file.
• CWE-116Improper Encoding or Escaping of OutputThe product prepares a structured message for communication with another component, but encoding or escaping of the data is either missing or done incorrectly. As a result, the intended structure of the message is not preserved.