GlobalprotectApplication · Paloaltonetworks
CVE-2017-15870
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedPalo Alto Networks GlobalProtect Agent before 4.0.3 allows attackers with administration rights on the local station to gain SYSTEM privileges via vectors involving "image path execution hijacking."
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceLocal privilege escalation vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect Agent versions before 4.0.3. Attackers with local administrator rights can manipulate DLL/executable search paths (image path execution hijacking) to cause the agent to load a malicious DLL or execute a malicious binary, resulting in SYSTEM-level code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
GlobalprotectApplication
<= 4.0.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm GlobalProtect Agent is installedCheck for GlobalProtect Agent installation by looking in Program Files for 'Palo Alto Networks' or 'GlobalProtect' folder, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'GlobalProtect' or 'Palo Alto Networks'Affected if No GlobalProtect Agent installation found means not affected by this specific CVE
-
Identify installed GlobalProtect versionCheck the version of the installed GlobalProtect Agent. Right-click the GlobalProtect tray icon and select 'About' or check the version in Add/Remove Programs. Alternatively, check the executable properties of gp.exe or PanGPAgent.exe typically found in C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect\Affected if Version is 4.0.2 or lower (anything before 4.0.3) indicates the installed version is within the affected range
-
Verify DLL search path vulnerability existsExamine the directories from which GlobalProtect loads DLLs during startup. Use a tool like Process Monitor to trace DLL loading when gp.exe or PanGPAgent.exe starts, or check the PATH environment variable and working directory configuration for the GlobalProtect processAffected if DLL search paths are configured such that an attacker with local administrator rights can place malicious DLLs in directories the agent loads from (search order hijacking is possible)
-
Check for presence of vulnerable DLL loading behaviorReview the GlobalProtect agent configuration and installed files for DLL dependencies. Check the bin folder within the GlobalProtect installation directory for DLL files and verify if any are loaded from writable locationsAffected if The agent loads DLLs from paths writable by non-SYSTEM users, enabling image path hijacking
You are affected if GlobalProtect Agent version 4.0.2 or lower is installed AND the DLL search path configuration allows a local administrator to place malicious DLLs in paths the agent loads from.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade GlobalProtect Agent to version 4.0.3 or later. Until patched, restrict administrative access to endpoints running the agent and monitor for unauthorized DLL loading or suspicious process execution.
Fix this in Globalprotect
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15870 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-15870 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data