The HTTP Event Collector (HEC) token is a 128-bit value used to authenticate data sent to a Splunk HEC endpoint. The intended and required method for using this token is to include it within the Authorization header of the HTTP request. The specific format is Authorization: Splunk . This practice aligns with standard API security protocols, where authentication credentials are passed in the request headers, distinctly separate from the data payload in the request body. This ensures that the client is authenticated before the data is processed.

A. A cookie.

HEC tokens are not used as cookies, which are typically for managing user sessions in a web browser, not for authenticating data streams to an API.

C. A JSON field in the HTTP request.

The JSON payload is reserved for the event data being sent to Splunk; placing the authentication token within the data itself is incorrect and insecure.

D. A password in conjunction with login.

HEC tokens are bearer tokens that serve as the sole authentication mechanism for the request, replacing the need for a traditional username and password login.

1. Splunk Enterprise Documentation

Getting Data In Manual: In the section "Format events for HTTP Event Collector

" the documentation explicitly states

"The HEC token must be sent in an Authorization HTTP header. The token type is Splunk." (Splunk Docs: Getting Data In

"Format events for HTTP Event Collector"

Section: "HEC request headers").

2. Splunk Enterprise Documentation

REST API Tutorials: The tutorial on sending data to HEC provides a cURL example that demonstrates the correct usage: curl -k "https://:/services/collector" -H "Authorization: Splunk " -d '{"event": "hello world"}'. This reinforces that the token is part of the HTTP header. (Splunk Docs: REST API Tutorials

"Send data to HTTP Event Collector on Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform").