Detection rules › Splunk
Splunk Sensitive Information Disclosure in DEBUG Logging Channels
In Splunk versions 9.3, 9.2, 9.1, 9.1.5 Applications which have been enabled with logging level DEBUG may write sensitive information such as keys, tokens, or other sensitive strings into the internal index.
Known false positives
- There will be false positives as not every message to the DEBUG log will expose sensitive information, such as keys or other secrets.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Credential Access |
Rule body
name: Splunk Sensitive Information Disclosure in DEBUG Logging Channels
id: 93dc7182-c5da-4085-82ec-401abf33d623
version: 6
creation_date: '2024-10-14'
modification_date: '2026-05-14'
author: Rod Soto, Eric McGinnis, Splunk
status: production
type: Hunting
description: In Splunk versions 9.3, 9.2, 9.1, 9.1.5 Applications which have been enabled with logging level DEBUG may write sensitive information such as keys, tokens, or other sensitive strings into the internal index.
data_source:
- Splunk
search: |-
`splunkd` log_level="DEBUG" AND component IN ("REST_Calls", "AdminManager", "JSONWebToken")
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by host splunk_server log_level component event_message
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
| `splunk_sensitive_information_disclosure_in_debug_logging_channels_filter`
how_to_implement: Requires access to _internal index. It is recommended to inventory and modify the search for specific apps that may have DEBUG logging enabled.
known_false_positives: There will be false positives as not every message to the DEBUG log will expose sensitive information, such as keys or other secrets.
references:
- https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2024-0301
- https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2024-1008
- https://advisory.splunk.com/advisories/SVD-2024-1009
analytic_story:
- Splunk Vulnerabilities
asset_type: Splunk Server
cve:
- CVE-2024-29945
- CVE-2024-45738
- CVE-2024-45739
mitre_attack_id:
- T1552
product:
- Splunk Enterprise
- Splunk Enterprise Security
- Splunk Cloud
category: application
security_domain: endpoint
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
`splunkd` log_level="DEBUG" AND component IN ("REST_Calls", "AdminManager", "JSONWebToken")
Stage 2: stats
| stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime by host splunk_server log_level component event_message
Stage 3: search
| `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
Stage 4: search
| `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
Stage 5: search
| `splunk_sensitive_information_disclosure_in_debug_logging_channels_filter`
Indicators
These rows show field, operator, and value matches.
| Field | Kind | Values | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
component | in |
| field:"component" kind:in |
log_level | eq |
| field:"log_level" kind:eq |
sourcetype | eq |
| field:"sourcetype" kind:eq value:"splunkd" |