# CVE-2024-45731: Path traversal in Splunk Enterprise

> Low-privileged users can write files to the Windows system root, potentially enabling remote code execution when Splunk is installed on a separate drive.

- **Severity:** High 8.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 28 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j6xh-hx47-7x23

## What is CVE-2024-45731?

CVE-2024-45731 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, published on 14 Oct 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

In Splunk Enterprise for Windows versions below 9.3.1, 9.2.3, and 9.1.6, a low-privileged user that does not hold the "admin" or "power" Splunk roles could write a file to the Windows system root directory, which has a default location in the Windows System32 folder, when Splunk Enterprise for Windows is installed on a separate drive.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-45731?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Splunk Splunk.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-45731?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-45731 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-45731 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-45731 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Splunk Splunk

- [CVE-2026-20253](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20253/): Splunk Enterprise Missing Authentication for Critical Function (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-76268](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76268/): Missing Authentication for Critical Function in the Patroni REST API in Splunk Enterprise (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-76284](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76284/): Improper Neutralization in Splunk Enterprise (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-76285](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76285/): Improper Adherence to Coding Standards in Splunk Enterprise (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-17067](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-17067/): Auth bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-45731 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-45731 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, published on 14 Oct 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-45731 exists.

Affected product: Splunk Splunk. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45731/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45731/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-45731
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-45731
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-45731

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45731/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.