CVE-2026-20251 Remote Code Execution through Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Splunk Secure Gateway
A low-privileged user can achieve remote code execution in Splunk Secure Gateway via unsafe deserialization of KV Store data using jsonpickle.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-20251?
CVE-2026-20251 is a high-severity unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Splunk Splunk, published on 10 Jun 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.2.4, 10.0.7, 9.4.12, and 9.3.13, Splunk Cloud Platform versions below 10.3.2512.12, 10.2.2510.14, 10.1.2507.22, and 9.3.2411.132, and Splunk Secure Gateway versions below 3.10.6, 3.9.20, and 3.8.67, a low-privileged user that does not hold the 'admin' or 'power' Splunk roles could perform a Remote Code Execution (RCE) through the Splunk Secure Gateway app.<br><br>The Remote Code Execution is possible because of unsafe deserialization of App Key Value Store (KV Store) data through the ‘jsonpickle’ Python library, which reconstructs arbitrary Python objects from specially crafted JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) without adequate validation.
Weakness: CWE-502
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-20251?
It affects 3 products.
Products include Splunk Splunk, Splunk Splunk Cloud Platform, Splunk Splunk Secure Gateway.
How do I fix CVE-2026-20251?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-20251 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and only deserialise data from trusted sources or with an allow-list of types. More about Unsafe deserialization.
Is CVE-2026-20251 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-20251 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.
Other vulnerabilities in Splunk Splunk
- CVE-2026-20253 Splunk Enterprise Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- CVE-2026-76268 Missing Authentication for Critical Function in the Patroni REST API in Splunk Enterprise
- CVE-2026-76284 Improper Neutralization in Splunk Enterprise
- CVE-2026-76285 Improper Adherence to Coding Standards in Splunk Enterprise
- CVE-2017-17067 Auth bypass in n/a
Sources
Also known as GHSA-3crw-7xg9-fpxg.