Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-76268: Missing Authentication for Critical Function in the Patroni REST API in Splunk Enterprise
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.4.3 and 10.2.7, an unauthenticated user with network access to the Patroni Representational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) on a search head cluster member could execute attacker-controlled operating-system commands.
CVSS 9.8 Critical EPSS 1.6% · p75 Check exposure
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 1.6%, percentile 75: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 75% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Editorial verdict: Check exposure. Splunk CVE-2026-76268: Unauthenticated Patroni API RCE — A pre-auth command execution bug, but only on 10.2 and 10.4 search head cluster members whose PostgreSQL sidecar is reachable; if that describes you, upgrade this week and skip straight to the October 21 releases.
What it is
In Splunk Enterprise versions below 10.4.3 and 10.2.7, an unauthenticated user with network access to the Patroni Representational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) on a search head cluster member could execute attacker-controlled operating-system commands. The vulnerability is possible because this interface does not require authentication for critical configuration operations. For more information see Sidecar configuration settings (https://help.splunk.com/en/data-management/splunk-enterprise-admin-manual/10.2/splunk-sidecars/sidecar-configuration-settings) in the Splunk documentation. Splunk Enterprise versions 10.0.x and 9.4.x are not affected.
Weakness type: CWE-306.
Product: Splunk Splunk Enterprise · Assigned by: cisco · Published: 2026-10-07
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Splunk | Splunk Enterprise | 10.4 < 10.4.3, 10.2 < 10.2.7 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| cisco | 3.1 | 9.8 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-24): 1.59% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 75.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by cisco
- — erroneo.us brief: Splunk CVE-2026-76268: Unauthenticated Patroni API RCE
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-76268 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-76268 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- advisory.splunk.com advisory.splunk.com