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Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2020-2001

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.12 / 9.0.6 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
An external control of path and data vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Panorama XSLT processing logic that allows an unauthenticated user with network access to PAN-OS management interface to write attacker supplied file on the system and elevate privileges. This issue affects: All PAN-OS 7.1 Panorama and 8.0 Panorama versions; PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than 8.1.12 on Panorama; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than 9.0.6 on Panorama.

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

A critical path traversal vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Panorama XSLT processing allows unauthenticated attackers with network access to the management interface to write arbitrary files to the filesystem and escalate privileges to root. The flaw stems from insufficient validation in XSLT transformation logic.

MitigationApply PAN-OS Panorama updates to version 8.1.12 or later for 8.1 branches, 9.0.6 or later for 9.0 branches, or migrate to newer supported branches. Restrict management interface access to trusted networks.

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:>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.26>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.20>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.12>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6

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:3.1/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. Identify Panorama appliance version
    Log into the Panorama CLI and run 'show system info' or use the web UI under Dashboard > Device Summary to locate the PAN-OS version
    Affected if The displayed version falls within 7.1.0-7.1.26, 8.0.0-8.0.20, 8.1.0-8.1.11, or 9.0.0-9.0.5
  2. Verify Panorama management interface exposure
    Check network configuration in Panorama under Network > Interfaces or review firewall/acl rules to determine if the management interface (usually TCP 443) is reachable from untrusted networks
    Affected if The management interface is accessible from networks outside the trusted administrative zone
  3. Review authentication logs for anomalous XSLT requests
    Inspect Panorama logs under Monitor > Logs > System for entries containing 'xslt', 'path traversal', or unusual file write operations around the timeframe of the vulnerability disclosure
    Affected if Log entries show unauthorized XSLT processing attempts or unexpected file creation in system directories
  4. Check for unexpected files in system directories
    From Panorama CLI, run 'ls -la /var/log/' and 'ls -la /opt/panrepo/' to enumerate files for unexpected modifications or newly created scripts
    Affected if Unknown scripts, webshells, or modified configuration files exist outside normal Panorama operation

You are affected if Panorama runs an unpatched version within the affected ranges AND the management interface is exposed to untrusted networks, or if exploitation indicators appear in logs or filesystem.

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 8.1.12 / 9.0.6 or later
Fixed in 8.1.129.0.6
Interim mitigation

Apply PAN-OS Panorama updates to version 8.1.12 or later for 8.1 branches, 9.0.6 or later for 9.0 branches, or migrate to newer supported branches. Restrict management interface access to trusted networks.

Recommended fix High confidence

PAN-OS 7.1.27+ (7.1.x), PAN-OS 8.0.21+ (8.0.x), PAN-OS 8.1.12+ (8.1.x), or PAN-OS 9.0.6+ (9.0.x) depending on your current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current PAN-OS Panorama version by navigating to Dashboard > General Information in the web interface, or running 'show system info' in the CLI.
  2. 2. If running PAN-OS 7.1.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 7.1.27 or later.
  3. 3. If running PAN-OS 8.0.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 8.0.21 or later.
  4. 4. If running PAN-OS 8.1.x (earlier than 8.1.12), upgrade to PAN-OS 8.1.12 or later.
  5. 5. If running PAN-OS 9.0.x (earlier than 9.0.6), upgrade to PAN-OS 9.0.6 or later.
  6. 6. Download the appropriate PAN-OS update from the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal.
  7. 7. Upload and install the update via Panorama > Device > Software or via the CLI using 'request system software install' command.
  8. 8. After upgrade, validate the fix by confirming the Panorama management interface is accessible and the device is functioning normally.
Caveat Review Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Upgrade Guide for potential compatibility issues with your specific hardware model and integrated plugins before upgrading

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

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2020-2001 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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