CVE-2026-20297: splunk Path Traversal

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-20297 is a high (CVSS 7.2) Path Traversal vulnerability in splunk. EPSS estimates a 0.57% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 46.1% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 15-07-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 16-07-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.4.1, 10.2.5, 10.0.8, 9.4.13, and 9.3.14, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.5.2605.0, 10.4.2604.6, 10.2.2510.18, and 10.1.2507.24, a user who holds a role that contains the `edit_local_apps` and `install_apps` capabilities could cause a legitimate app installation to write files outside the intended app directory, into `$SPLUNK_HOME/etc/` and its subdirectories.<br><br>The vulnerability is caused by a path traversal in the app installation workflow, which does not restrict the installation path to the intended app directory.

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.