Incorrect default permissions in Splunk Universal Forwarder - CVE-2025-20298
Published: June 2, 2025
Vulnerability identifier: #VU110074
CSH Severity: Low
CVSS v4: 8.5 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2025-20298
CWE-ID: CWE-276
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.
The vulnerability exists due to incorrect default permissions set on the "C:\\Program Files\\SplunkUniversalForwarder" folder after installation of software upgrade. A local unprivileged user can modify files in the folder and escalate privileges on the system.
Affected software
Splunk Universal Forwarder
How to mitigate CVE-2025-20298
Install updates from vendor's website.
Splunk Universal Forwarder - addressed in versions 9.1.9, 9.2.6, 9.3.4, 9.4.2