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GlobalprotectApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2020-2004

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.9 / 5.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Under certain circumstances a user's password may be logged in cleartext in the PanGPS.log diagnostic file when logs are collected for troubleshooting on GlobalProtect app (also known as GlobalProtect Agent) for MacOS and Windows. For this issue to occur all of these conditions must be true: (1) 'Save User Credential' option should be set to 'Yes' in the GlobalProtect Portal's Agent configuration, (2) the GlobalProtect user manually selects a gateway, (3) and the logging level is set to 'Dump' while collecting troubleshooting logs. This issue does not affect GlobalProtect app on other platforms (for example iOS/Android/Linux). This issue affects GlobalProtect app 5.0 versions earlier than 5.0.9, GlobalProtect app 5.1 versions earlier than 5.1.2 on Windows or MacOS. Since becoming aware of the issue, Palo Alto Networks has safely deleted all the known GlobalProtectLogs zip files sent by customers with the credentials. We now filter and remove these credentials from all files sent to Customer Support. The GlobalProtectLogs zip files uploaded to Palo Alto Networks systems were only accessible by authorized personnel with valid Palo Alto Networks credentials. We do not have any evidence of malicious access or use of these credentials.

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

The GlobalProtect app for MacOS and Windows logs user credentials in cleartext to the PanGPS.log diagnostic file under specific conditions: when 'Save User Credential' is enabled, the user manually selects a gateway, and troubleshooting logs are collected with 'Dump' logging level enabled. This exposes passwords in plaintext within log files sent to support.

MitigationUpgrade GlobalProtect app to version 5.0.9 or later for 5.0.x, or 5.1.2 or later for 5.1.x on Windows/MacOS. Alternatively, disable 'Save User Credential' in the GlobalProtect Portal agent configuration or avoid using 'Dump' logging level when collecting troubleshooting logs.

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
GlobalprotectApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0, < 5.0.9>= 5.1.0, < 5.1.2

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Check installed GlobalProtect version
    On Windows: open Programs and Features, find 'Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect' and note the version. On MacOS: open Finder, go to Applications, right-click GlobalProtect, select 'Get Info' to view the version.
    Affected if Version is 5.0.0 through 5.0.8, or 5.1.0 through 5.1.1 (these are the affected ranges)
  2. Verify if Save User Credential is enabled
    Check the GlobalProtect portal or agent configuration. On Windows, the setting is typically found in the registry or via the GlobalProtect interface under portal settings. Look for the 'Save User Credential' or 'Save Password' option.
    Affected if The 'Save User Credential' setting is enabled in the GlobalProtect configuration
  3. Inspect PanGPS.log for plaintext credentials
    Locate the PanGPS.log diagnostic file. Default paths: Windows - C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect\PanGPS.log or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect\Logs\PanGPS.log; MacOS - /Library/Logs/PaloAltoNetworks/GlobalProtect/PanGPS.log. Open the file and search for password strings in plain text.
    Affected if The log file contains plaintext passwords or user credentials, indicating the condition has been triggered
  4. Check if Dump logging level is configured
    In the GlobalProtect client settings or troubleshooting options, look for the logging level configuration. 'Dump' logging level is typically set when collecting detailed troubleshooting logs.
    Affected if The 'Dump' logging level is enabled for troubleshooting log collection

You are affected if GlobalProtect version is 5.0.0-5.0.8 or 5.1.0-5.1.1 AND the 'Save User Credential' setting is enabled AND you have collected troubleshooting logs with 'Dump' level (plaintext credentials may appear in PanGPS.log).

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 5.0.9 / 5.1.2 or later
Fixed in 5.0.95.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GlobalProtect app to version 5.0.9 or later for 5.0.x, or 5.1.2 or later for 5.1.x on Windows/MacOS. Alternatively, disable 'Save User Credential' in the GlobalProtect Portal agent configuration or avoid using 'Dump' logging level when collecting troubleshooting logs.

Fix this in Globalprotect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2020-2004 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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