CVE-2023-40596

Splunk Enterprise on Windows Privilege Escalation due to Insecure OPENSSLDIR Build Definition Reference in DLL

HIGH
8.8
CVSS Score
Published: August 30, 2023 at 04:19 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 06:18 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorSplunk· also runs on 1 platform

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Severity
HIGH8.8
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In Splunk Enterprise versions earlier than 8.2.12, 9.0.6, and 9.1.1, a dynamic link library (DLL) that ships with Splunk Enterprise references an insecure path for the OPENSSLDIR build definition. An attacker can abuse this reference and subsequently install malicious code to achieve privilege escalation on the Windows machine.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

8.2 ≤ v < 8.2.128.2.0 ≤ v < 8.2.129.0 ≤ v < 9.0.69.0.0 ≤ v < 9.0.69.1 ≤ v < 9.1.18.29.09.19.1.0
Affected range stops below 8.2.12, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 9.0.6, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 9.1.1, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
microsoft-windows (environment)

Runs on — not affected

The affected product only carries this flaw when running on these platforms. The platforms themselves are not vulnerable.

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatableTotal impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
CHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-665CWE-427

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