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How the CVE Works:
This vulnerability occurs during the installation or upgrade process of the Splunk Universal Forwarder on Windows. The installer incorrectly assigns permissions to the application’s installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder\). Instead of restricting access to privileged users, it sets overly permissive Access Control Lists (ACLs). This allows standard, non-administrative users on the compromised host to read, write, and potentially execute files within that directory. An attacker with a low-privilege local account can exploit this to view sensitive configuration files, modify application binaries to establish persistence, or replace scripts that run with higher privileges, leading to a local elevation of privilege.
Platform: Splunk Universal Forwarder (Windows)
Version: <10.0.2, <9.4.6
Vulnerability: Insecure Directory Permissions
Severity: Medium
date: 2025-12-03
Prediction: Patch 2025-12-17
What Undercode Say:
Analytics:
Check current permissions on the Splunk directory icacls "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder" Find files modifiable by 'Everyone' or 'Users' accesschk.exe -wus "Users" "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder" -s
PowerShell equivalent to verify ACLs Get-Acl "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder" | Format-List
How Exploit:
1. Attainer gains low-privilege shell.
2. Enumerate weak directory permissions.
3. Write malicious DLL or executable.
4. Wait for service restart or trigger execution.
Example: Replace a legitimate script echo "malicious_payload" > "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder\bin\script.bat"
Protection from this CVE:
1. Apply official patches (versions 10.0.2, 9.4.6, etc.).
2. Manually audit and correct directory ACLs.
3. Restrict interactive logon rights.
Manual remediation command example icacls "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder" /reset /T icacls "C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder" /grant S-1-5-32-544:(OI)(CI)F /grant S-1-5-18:(OI)(CI)F
Impact:
Local Privilege Escalation, Information Disclosure, System Compromise.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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