CVE-2025-20298
Splunk Universal Forwarder Windows Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
In Universal Forwarder for Windows versions below 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9, a new installation of or an upgrade to an affected version can result in incorrect permissions assignment in the Universal Forwarder for Windows Installation directory (by default, C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder). This lets non-administrator users on the machine access the directory and all its contents.
INFO
Published Date :
June 2, 2025, 6:15 p.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 4, 2025, 6:19 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2025-20298
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Upgrade Universal Forwarder for Windows to versions 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, 9.1.9, or higher.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2025-20298.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2025-0602 | Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-20298 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-20298
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2025-20298 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
-
Cyber Security News
Splunk Universal Forwarder on Windows Lets Non-Admin Users Access All Contents
A high-severity vulnerability was uncovered in Splunk Universal Forwarder for Windows that compromises directory access controls. The flaw, designated CVE-2025-20298 with a CVSSv3.1 score of 8.0, affe ... Read more
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2025-20298 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Aug. 04, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration AND OR *cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 9.1.0 up to (excluding) 9.1.9 *cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 9.2.0 up to (excluding) 9.2.6 *cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 9.3.0 up to (excluding) 9.3.4 *cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 9.4.0 up to (excluding) 9.4.2 OR cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Added Reference Type Cisco Systems, Inc.: https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2025-0602 Types: Vendor Advisory -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jun. 02, 2025
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In Universal Forwarder for Windows versions below 9.4.2, 9.3.4, 9.2.6, and 9.1.9, a new installation of or an upgrade to an affected version can result in incorrect permissions assignment in the Universal Forwarder for Windows Installation directory (by default, C:\Program Files\SplunkUniversalForwarder). This lets non-administrator users on the machine access the directory and all its contents. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-732 Added Reference https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2025-0602