Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks
CVE-2020-2003
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 · uneditedAn external control of filename vulnerability in the command processing of PAN-OS allows an authenticated administrator to delete arbitrary system files affecting the integrity of the system or causing denial of service to all PAN-OS services. This issue affects: All versions of PAN-OS 7.1 and 8.0; PAN-OS 8.1 versions before 8.1.14; PAN-OS 9.0 versions before 9.0.7; PAN-OS 9.1 versions before 9.1.1.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in PAN-OS command processing allows an authenticated administrator to manipulate file paths and delete arbitrary system files. The flaw enables compromise of system integrity through unauthorized file deletion or denial of service by disrupting PAN-OS services.
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
>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.26>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.20>= 8.1.0, <= 8.1.13>= 9.0.0, <= 9.0.6>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.1CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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.
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Determine installed PAN-OS versionLog into the PAN-OS web interface and navigate to Device > Support or use CLI command 'show system info' to view the PAN-OS version numberAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 7.1.0-7.1.26, 8.0.0-8.0.20, 8.1.0-8.1.13, 9.0.0-9.0.6, or 9.1.0 to below 9.1.1
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Verify admin account existenceCheck for configured administrator accounts in PAN-OS via Device > Administrators or CLI command 'show admins'Affected if Any administrator account exists on the system, as the vulnerability can be exploited by any authenticated administrator
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Assess if device is end-of-life versionConfirm whether the PAN-OS version is 7.1.x or 8.0.x, which are listed as end-of-life in the product lifecycleAffected if Running PAN-OS 7.1.x or 8.0.x, as these versions are no longer supported and include the vulnerable code paths
You are affected if your PAN-OS version is 7.1.0 through 7.1.26, 8.0.0 through 8.0.20, 8.1.0 through 8.1.13, 9.0.0 through 9.0.6, or 9.1.0 through 9.1.0, and you have any authenticated administrator access to the device.
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 data9.1.1
Upgrade PAN-OS to version 8.1.14 or later (8.x), 9.0.7 or later (9.0), 9.1.1 or later (9.1), or migrate to a supported version (PAN-OS 10.x+) as 7.1 and 8.0 are end-of-life.
Fix this in Pan Os
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-2003 — 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-2020-2003 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
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