# CVE-2026-20240: Denial of Service through coldToFrozen.sh Script in Splunk Enterprise

> A low-privileged user can cause denial of service in Splunk Enterprise by exploiting missing input validation in a script to rename critical directories.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **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-2fmj-cw46-4vrm

## What is CVE-2026-20240?

CVE-2026-20240 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, 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 Enterprise versions below 10.2.2, 10.0.5, 9.4.11, and 9.3.12, and Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.4.2603.1, 10.3.2512.9, 10.2.2510.11, 10.1.2507.21, 10.0.2503.13, and 9.3.2411.129, a low-privileged user that does not hold the ‘admin’ or ‘power’ Splunk roles could cause a Denial of Service by exploiting the `coldToFrozen.sh` script in the `splunk_archiver` app to rename critical Splunk directories, making the instance non-functional.<br><br>The Denial of Service is possible because of missing input validation in the `coldToFrozen.sh` script, which accepts arbitrary file paths and renames them without restricting operations to safe directories.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20240?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Splunk Splunk, Splunk Splunk Cloud Platform.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-20240?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20240 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-20240 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20240 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-2026-20240 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-20240 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, 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-2026-20240 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-2026-20240/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20240/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-20240
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20240
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-20240

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-20240/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.