GitHub Repo

Detection: Splunk Endpoint Denial of Service DoS Zip Bomb

REMOVED DETECTION

This detection has been removed from the Splunk Threat Research content library and is no longer maintained or supported.

Reason: Detection is deprecated as the associated CVEs have been patched in the latest Splunk release.

Removed in version: 5.6.0

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at research@splunk.com.

Updated Date: 2026-05-14 ID: b237d393-2f57-4531-aad7-ad3c17c8b041 Author: Marissa Bower, Rod Soto, Splunk Type: TTP Product: Splunk Enterprise Security

Description

The following analytic identifies crashes in the Splunk search app caused by specially crafted ZIP files, affecting Universal Forwarder versions 8.1.11 and 8.2 versions below 8.2.7.1. It detects this activity by monitoring Universal Forwarder error logs for specific messages indicating invalid or binary file issues. This activity is significant because it can disrupt Splunk operations, leading to potential data loss or monitoring gaps. If confirmed malicious, this attack could result in a denial of service, hindering the organization's ability to monitor and respond to other security incidents effectively.

1`splunkd` component=FileClassifierManager event_message=*invalid* event_message=*binary* 
2|stats count by host component event_message 
3| `splunk_endpoint_denial_of_service_dos_zip_bomb_filter`

Data Source

Name Platform Sourcetype Source
Splunk Splunk icon Splunk 'splunkd_ui_access' 'splunkd_ui_access.log'

Macros Used

Name Value
splunkd index=_internal sourcetype=splunkd
splunk_endpoint_denial_of_service_dos_zip_bomb_filter ``
splunk_endpoint_denial_of_service_dos_zip_bomb_filter is an empty macro by default. It allows the user to filter out any results (false positives) without editing the SPL.

Annotations

- MITRE ATT&CK
+ Kill Chain Phases
+ NIST
+ CIS
- Threat Actors
ID Technique Tactic
T1499 Endpoint Denial of Service Impact

CVE

Default Configuration

This detection is configured by default in Splunk Enterprise Security to run with the following settings:

Setting Value
Disabled true
Cron Schedule N/A
Earliest Time N/A
Latest Time N/A
Schedule Window N/A
Creates Finding (Notable) No
Creates Intermediate Finding (Risk Event) No
TTP detections generate a Finding (Notable) and may generate Intermediate Findings (Risk Events) for associated entities.

Implementation

Need to monitor Splunkd data from Universal Forwarders.

Known False Positives

This search may reveal non malicious zip files causing errors as well.

Associated Analytic Story

References

Detection Testing

Test Type Status Dataset Source Sourcetype
Validation Not Applicable N/A N/A N/A
Unit Not Applicable N/A N/A N/A
Integration Not Applicable N/A N/A N/A

Replay any dataset to Splunk Enterprise by using our replay.py tool or the UI. Alternatively you can replay a dataset into a Splunk Attack Range

Source: GitHub |

Version: 6