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Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2017-15940

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-12-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.19 / 7.0.19 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The web interface packet capture management component in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS before 6.1.19, 7.0.x before 7.0.19, 7.1.x before 7.1.14, and 8.0.x before 8.0.6 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

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 confidence

Command injection vulnerability in the PAN-OS web interface packet capture management component allows remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by sending specially crafted requests to the management web service.

MitigationUpgrade PAN-OS to version 6.1.19 or later, 7.0.19 or later, 7.1.14 or later, or 8.0.6 or later to patch the vulnerability.

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
Pan OsOperating system
Affected:< 6.1.19>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.19>= 7.1.0, < 7.1.14>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.6

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine the PAN-OS version
    Log into the PAN-OS device via CLI and run 'show system info' or access the web interface and navigate to Device > Setup > Operations to view the software version
    Affected if The version falls outside the fixed releases: not 6.1.19+, 7.0.19+, 7.1.14+, or 8.0.6+ (for example, running 7.1.10 or 8.0.4)
  2. Verify if the management web interface is enabled
    Check via CLI with 'show management interface' or through the web interface under Network > Management > Management Interface Settings
    Affected if The management web service (HTTPS on port 443) is accessible and the device is running a vulnerable PAN-OS version
  3. Confirm the packet capture feature is accessible
    In the web interface, navigate to Monitor > Packet Capture to see if the packet capture management component is available; in CLI, check for packet capture-related configuration
    Affected if The packet capture management component is accessible to authenticated users and the PAN-OS version is vulnerable
  4. Review admin logs for suspicious commands
    Run 'show log system' with filter for 'packet-capture' or similar commands, or check the configuration audit logs for unexpected entries in the packet capture module
    Affected if Unexpected or malicious-looking commands appear in the packet capture logs indicating potential exploitation

A user is affected if their PAN-OS version is below the fixed releases (6.1.19, 7.0.19, 7.1.14, or 8.0.6) AND the management web interface with packet capture feature is accessible to authenticated users.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.1.19 / 7.0.19 / 7.1.14 or later
Fixed in 6.1.197.0.197.1.14
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PAN-OS to version 6.1.19 or later, 7.0.19 or later, 7.1.14 or later, or 8.0.6 or later to patch the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to PAN-OS 6.1.19, 7.0.19, 7.1.14, or 8.0.6 (or later) depending on your current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current PAN-OS version by logging into the web interface or CLI (show system info)
  2. 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version branch (6.1.x, 7.0.x, 7.1.x, or 8.0.x)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed PAN-OS version image from the Palo Alto Networks Support Portal: 6.1.19, 7.0.19, 7.1.14, or 8.0.6
  4. 4. Back up the current PAN-OS configuration via Device > Setup > Operations > Export named configuration snapshot
  5. 5. Upload the new PAN-OS image via Device > Software > Upload
  6. 6. Install the upgrade via Device > Software > Install (or via CLI: request system software install <filename>)
  7. 7. After installation completes, reboot the system
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful and the version matches the expected fixed release
Caveat Review Palo Alto Networks Upgrade Guide for branch-specific considerations; major version upgrades (e.g., 6.1 to 7.0) may require compatibility checks for features and integrations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-15940 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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