CVE-2023-40598 | Command Injection in Splunk Enterprise Using External Lookups

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 8.2.12, 9.0.6, and 9.1.1, an attacker can create an external lookup that calls a legacy internal function. The attacker can use this internal function to insert code into the Splunk platform installation directory. From there, a user can execute arbitrary code on the Splunk platform Instance.

Published: 2023-08-30 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-40598 is rated Moderate Risk (44.3/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.11%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-40598

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 0.36% 0.11% -0.25%
2 2025-11-18 0.08% 0.36% +0.27%
3 2025-04-15 — 0.08% —

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-40598

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 6.0 [email protected]
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.8 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-40598

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-40598

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
splunk splunk < 8.2.12 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:splunk:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
splunk splunk >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:splunk:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
splunk splunk >= 9.1.0, < 9.1.1 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:splunk:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
splunk splunk_cloud_platform < 9.0.2305.200 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:splunk_cloud_platform:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-40598

cvelogic Threat Intelligence