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Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2020-2012

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.13 / 9.0.7 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Improper restriction of XML external entity reference ('XXE') vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Panorama management service allows remote unauthenticated attackers with network access to the Panorama management interface to read arbitrary files on the system. This issue affects: All versions of PAN-OS for Panorama 7.1 and 8.0; PAN-OS for Panorama 8.1 versions earlier than 8.1.13; PAN-OS for Panorama 9.0 versions earlier than 9.0.7.

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

This is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the Panorama management interface of Palo Alto Networks firewalls. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit malformed XML requests to read arbitrary files from the filesystem, potentially exposing sensitive configuration data, credentials, or system files.

MitigationUpgrade Panorama to PAN-OS 8.1.13 or later, or 9.0.7 or later. For PAN-OS 7.1 and 8.0 branches, migrate to a supported version. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interface using firewall rules or VPN.

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, < 8.1.13>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.7

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Confirm device is running Panorama
    Execute `show system info` in the CLI or check the web interface System > Overview page. Look for 'Device Mode' or 'Panorama' indicating this is a management appliance, not a standalone firewall.
    Affected if The device is not running in Panorama mode - this CVE affects only Panorama management interfaces, not standalone firewall management interfaces.
  2. Check PAN-OS version
    Run `show system info` in the CLI or view System > Overview in the web interface. Note the 'PAN-OS' or 'Software Version' field.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 7.1.0 to 7.1.26, 8.0.0 to 8.0.20, 8.1.0 to 8.1.12, or 9.0.0 to 9.0.6.
  3. Verify management interface exposure
    Check network accessibility of the Panorama web interface (typically ports 443 or 80) from untrusted networks. Review firewall rules or access lists protecting the management interface.
    Affected if The Panorama management interface is reachable from untrusted networks without VPN or IP restrictions.
  4. Check for XXE-related logs
    Review Panorama system logs and authentication logs for suspicious XML parsing errors or unusual external entity references around the time of potential exploitation.
    Affected if Logs show XML parsing errors, failed authentication attempts with XML payloads, or evidence of file access attempts.

You are affected if this device runs Panorama management software AND the PAN-OS version is 7.1.0-7.1.26, 8.0.0-8.0.20, 8.1.0-8.1.12, or 9.0.0-9.0.6 AND the management interface is network-accessible to attackers.

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 / 9.0.7 or later
Fixed in 8.1.139.0.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Panorama to PAN-OS 8.1.13 or later, or 9.0.7 or later. For PAN-OS 7.1 and 8.0 branches, migrate to a supported version. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the management interface using firewall rules or VPN.

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2020-2012 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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