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Splunk RCE via User XSLT

The following analytic identifies potential remote code execution (RCE) attempts via user-supplied Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) in Splunk versions 9.1.x. It detects this activity by analyzing…

Description

The following analytic identifies potential remote code execution (RCE) attempts via user-supplied Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) in Splunk versions 9.1.x. It detects this activity by analyzing `splunkd_ui` logs for specific URI patterns and status codes indicative of XSLT injection attempts. This activity is significant because successful exploitation could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the Splunk server. If confirmed malicious, this could lead to full system compromise, unauthorized data access, and further lateral movement within the network.

Detection logic

Detection requirements

Platform
ESXiLinuxmacOSWindows

The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.

Known benign triggers

  • This search will provide information for investigation and hunting possible abuse of user-supplied XSLT. There may be false positives and results should individually evaluated. Please evaluate the source IP and useragent responsible for creating the requests.

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