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Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2020-1979

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.13 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A format string vulnerability in the PAN-OS log daemon (logd) on Panorama allows a network based attacker with knowledge of registered firewall devices and access to Panorama management interfaces to execute arbitrary code, bypassing the restricted shell and escalating privileges. This issue affects only PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.13 on Panorama. This issue does not affect PAN-OS 7.1, PAN-OS 9.0, or later PAN-OS versions.

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

Format string vulnerability in the PAN-OS log daemon (logd) on Panorama appliances. A network-based attacker with knowledge of registered firewall devices and access to Panorama management interfaces can exploit improper format string handling to execute arbitrary code, bypass the restricted shell, and escalate privileges to root.

MitigationUpgrade PAN-OS on Panorama to version 8.1.13 or later, or migrate to PAN-OS 9.0 or later. This vulnerability is specific to PAN-OS 8.1 versions before 8.1.13 on Panorama only.

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:< 8.1.13

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Confirm device is Panorama
    Identify if the target appliance is a Panorama management device. On the CLI, run 'show system info' or check the device type in the management console. Panorama appliances are dedicated management platforms, not individual firewalls or VM-Series.
    Affected if The device is NOT a Panorama appliance - this vulnerability only affects Panorama, not standalone firewalls or VM-Series.
  2. Check PAN-OS version
    Run 'show system info' on the Panorama CLI or check the PAN-OS version in the management interface. Look for the 'PAN-OS Version' or 'Software Version' field.
    Affected if The installed PAN-OS version is 8.1.12 or lower, or any version below 8.1.13.
  3. Verify logd service status
    On the Panorama CLI, check if the log daemon is running by examining running processes or checking service status. Run 'show system software' or check process list for logd.
    Affected if The logd (log daemon) process is running and accessible.
  4. Check management interface exposure
    Verify if Panorama management interface (HTTPS on port 443) is accessible from network locations. Check network access list or management profile settings. Run 'show interface management' or review network configuration.
    Affected if The Panorama management interface is accessible from untrusted networks or the attacker has network access to it.

The environment is affected if the device is a Panorama appliance running PAN-OS version 8.1.12 or lower (any version below 8.1.13), with the logd service active and the management interface accessible to the potential attacker.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.1.13 or later
Fixed in 8.1.13
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PAN-OS on Panorama to version 8.1.13 or later, or migrate to PAN-OS 9.0 or later. This vulnerability is specific to PAN-OS 8.1 versions before 8.1.13 on Panorama only.

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2020-1979 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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