Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks
CVE-2018-9242
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 · uneditedThe PAN-OS management web interface page in PAN-OS 6.1.20 and earlier, PAN-OS 7.1.16 and earlier, PAN-OS 8.0.9 and earlier may allow an attacker to delete files in the system via specific request parameters.
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 · moderate confidenceA file deletion vulnerability exists in the PAN-OS management web interface across versions 6.1.20 and earlier, 7.1.16 and earlier, and 8.0.9 and earlier. Attackers can delete arbitrary system files via specific request parameters, likely through path traversal or improper input validation in the management web application.
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
> 6.0.0, <= 6.1.20>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.16> 8.0.0, <= 8.0.9CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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.
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Check installed PAN-OS versionRun 'show system info' command via PAN-OS CLI or view System Information in the web management interface under Device > Setup > OperationsAffected if Version is 6.1.20 or earlier, 7.1.16 or earlier, or 8.0.9 or earlier (specifically: >6.0.0 through 6.1.20, 7.1.0 through 7.1.16, or 8.0.1 through 8.0.9)
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Verify management web interface is enabledCheck network settings via 'show network interfaces' or review access profile configuration to confirm the management web UI (HTTPS/HTTP on mgmt interface) is enabledAffected if Management web interface is enabled and configured on any accessible network interface
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Inspect web logs for deletion attemptsReview PAN-OS webui logs (typically accessible via 'tail follow yes log system') or exported web server logs for DELETE method requests or path traversal patterns such as '../' in file pathsAffected if Logs contain suspicious DELETE requests or unusual file path strings pointing to system directories
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Check for unauthorized file modificationsRun 'show system files' or compare critical configuration files against a known-good baseline to detect unexpected deletionsAffected if System configuration files or critical PAN-OS files have been deleted or modified unexpectedly
Environment is affected if PAN-OS version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the management web interface is accessible from any network where attackers could send malicious requests.
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 PAN-OS to version 6.1.21, 7.1.17, 8.1.0 or later. As an interim control, restrict access to the management web interface to trusted admin networks only.
Fix this in Pan Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-9242 — 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-2018-9242 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
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- 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
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