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Preparing your Splunk Platform instance to upgrade to jQuery 3.5

 

To secure Splunk platform, Splunk announced the deprecation of libraries older than jQuery v3.5 in early 2021 and at the end of 2022 removed support for jQuery libraries older than v3.5 in new versions of Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud Platform.

As part of this change, Splunk platform users must make the following update Classic (Simple XML) dashboards, HTML dashboards, applications installed from Splunkbase, and private applications. 

Read an overview of the jQuery 3.5 upgrade here. If you're a Splunk Enterprise user, you can find upgrade instructions here.

Step 1: Update your classic (simple XML) and HTML dashboards 

Update classic (simple XML) dashboards that use jQuery libraries prior to v3.5 

Because jQuery libraries affect simple XML dashboards with custom JavaScript, dashboard versioning was introduced starting in  Splunk Enterprise 8.2.5 and Splunk Cloud Platform v8.2.2105.2.

  • Simple XML Dashboard version 1.0
    • Dashboards load with older versions of jQuery
  • Simple XML Dashboard version 1.1 
    • Dashboards load with jQuery 3.5

Admins need to work with dashboard owners to update Simple XML dashboards to v1.1. 

As a Splunk admin, you can check the jQuery Upgrade dashboard to see which dashboards are affected. To open the jQuery Upgrade dashboard, open the Search & Reporting App, click Dashboards, and then click jQuery Upgrade Dashboard

Rebuild HTML dashboards that have been deprecated

You can rebuild them in one of the following ways.

  • Rebuild your HTML dashboards in Dashboard Studio. Dashboards created or rebuilt in Dashboard Studio don't need updates for jQuery 3.5. For more information about Dashboard Studio, see What is the Splunk Dashboard Studio? for Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform.
  • If Dashboard Studio is insufficient to replicate the functionality of your HTML dashboards, rebuild any remaining HTML dashboards as classic (simple XML) dashboards with custom JavaScript. Ensure that your new simple XML dashboards rely on jQuery 3.5 or higher. For more information about building simple XML dashboards, see Modify dashboards using Simple XML extensions.
  • If you cannot replicate your HTML dashboards with either Dashboard Studio or a simple XML dashboard with custom JavaScript, you can write a single-page application (SPA) and fully package it with all of its dependencies. For more information on how to do this, see Update to jQuery 3.5.

Do not update classic (simple XML) or HTML dashboards that are provided by a third-party app developer. App developers will be required to update their apps and dashboards. You will only need to update classic (simple XML) or HTML dashboards that were created by end users in your organization.

Step 2: Update public and private apps that use jQuery libraries prior to v3.5 

Make sure that you update all business-critical Splunkbase and private applications in time for the removal of older jQuery libraries. You should also review the jQuery Scan section in the Upgrade Readiness App to see which Splunkbase or private apps require an update.

For third-party apps, it is the app developer’s responsibility to ensure their applications are updated with jQuery v3.5. If you are unsure if a third-party app will be updated, you can contact the application owner through the app page on Splunkbase via the Contact Developer option. 

Step 3: Restrict jQuery libraries older than v3.5. 

After you have updated all dashboards and apps, we recommend you test the updates by restricting the jQuery libraries older than v3.5 in a test environment before making the final restriction in your production instance. Restricting or unrestricting older jQuery libraries does not require a Splunk restart. This capability has been introduced in Splunk Enterprise 9.0 and Splunk Cloud Platform 8.2.2203 and is only available in versions that support jQuery libraries older than v3.5.

You can access this capability from Settings > Server Settings > Internal Library Settings

For more detailed guidance for admins, see the jQuery 3.5 Upgrade Manual.

Next steps

Check out how Splunk Admin Gregg Daly used tooling provided in the Splunk Cloud Platform to restrict older versions of jQuery to make his company’s Splunk instance more secure.