# CVE-2026-20142: Sensitive Information Disclosure in "_internal" index in Splunk Enterprise

> Users with access to the _internal index in Splunk Search Head Clusters can view plain-text RSA access keys, exposing sensitive authentication credentials.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 26 Feb 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rq7m-qrq2-mrg5

## What is CVE-2026-20142?

CVE-2026-20142 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, published on 18 Feb 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.2.0, 10.0.2, 9.4.7, 9.3.9, and 9.2.11, a user of a Splunk Search Head Cluster (SHC) deployment who holds a role with access to the Splunk `_internal` index could view the RSA `accessKey` value from the [<u>Authentication.conf</u> ](https://help.splunk.com/en/splunk-enterprise/administer/admin-manual/10.2/configuration-file-reference/10.2.0-configuration-file-reference/authentication.conf)file, in plain text.

Weakness: CWE-532 (Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20142?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Splunk Splunk.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-20142?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20142 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-20142 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20142 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## 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-2026-20142 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-20142 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, published on 18 Feb 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20142 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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-2026-20142/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20142/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-20142
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20142
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20142

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20142/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.