# CVE-2026-20238: Improper Access Control through Role Inheritance in Splunk AI Toolkit app

> Low-privileged users can access confidential data restricted by search filters due to improper role inheritance in Splunk AI Toolkit.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 May 2026
- **Updated:** 20 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7rq8-f887-2r5g

## What is CVE-2026-20238?

CVE-2026-20238 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Splunk AI Toolkit, published on 20 May 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In Splunk AI Toolkit versions below 5.7.3, a low-privileged user that does not hold the 'admin' or 'power' roles could access confidential data that was restricted through `srchFilter` configurations on custom roles.<br><br>The app contains an `authorize.conf` configuration file with a `srchFilter` entry that modifies the built-in ‘user’ role. Because the Splunk platform combines inherited search filters with the `OR` SPL operator, the injected filter overrides more restrictive filters on child roles.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20238?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Splunk Ai Toolkit.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-20238?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20238 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-20238 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20238 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Splunk AI Toolkit

- [CVE-2026-20266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20266/): OS Command Injection in the btool Configuration Helper in Splunk AI Toolkit (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2026-76395](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76395/): Deserialization in Splunk AI Toolkit (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-76391](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76391/): Improper Privilege Management through Agent Run History in Splunk AI Toolkit (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2026-76394](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76394/): Missing Authorization in Container and Connection Management through the REST API in Splunk AI Toolkit (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2026-76397](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-76397/): Improper Access Control in Experiment History through the REST API in Splunk AI Toolkit (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-20238 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-20238 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Splunk AI Toolkit, published on 20 May 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20238 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Splunk AI Toolkit. 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-2026-20238/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20238/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-20238
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20238
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20238

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20238/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.