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Cortex Xdr AgentApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2020-2020

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.10 / 6.1.7 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
An improper handling of exceptional conditions vulnerability in Cortex XDR Agent allows a local authenticated Windows user to create files in the software's internal program directory that prevents the Cortex XDR Agent from starting. The exceptional condition is persistent and prevents Cortex XDR Agent from starting when the software or machine is restarted. This issue impacts: Cortex XDR Agent 5.0 versions earlier than 5.0.10; Cortex XDR Agent 6.1 versions earlier than 6.1.7; Cortex XDR Agent 7.0 versions earlier than 7.0.3; Cortex XDR Agent 7.1 versions earlier than 7.1.2.

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

Improper handling of exceptional conditions in Cortex XDR Agent allows a local authenticated Windows user to create malicious files in the software's internal program directory, causing the agent to fail startup. This persistent denial-of-service condition survives machine restarts, disabling the endpoint security agent.

MitigationUpdate affected Cortex XDR Agent versions to 5.0.10, 6.1.7, 7.0.3, or 7.1.2 or later. Additionally, restrict file system permissions on the program directory to prevent standard users from creating files.

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
Cortex Xdr AgentApplication
Affected:>= 5.0, < 5.0.10>= 6.1, < 6.1.7>= 7.0, < 7.0.3>= 7.1, < 7.1.2

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Cortex XDR Agent is installed
    Check for the presence of the Cortex XDR Agent on the Windows system. Look for the installation directory, typically at C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\Cortex XDR\ or check Programs and Features for Cortex XDR Agent.
    Affected if Cortex XDR Agent is installed on the system.
  2. Identify installed version
    Locate the version information. Check the file properties of the main executable (often named traps.exe or similar) in the installation directory, or look in Windows Registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PaloAltoNetworks\Traps or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Palo Alto Networks\Cortex XDR for the version value.
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is not listed.
  3. Compare against affected version ranges
    Compare the installed version to these vulnerable ranges: 5.0.x before 5.0.10, 6.1.x before 6.1.7, 7.0.x before 7.0.3, or 7.1.x before 7.1.2.
    Affected if Installed version falls within any of these ranges: >=5.0 and <5.0.10, >=6.1 and <6.1.7, >=7.0 and <7.0.3, or >=7.1 and <7.1.2.
  4. Verify agent startup status
    Check if the Cortex XDR Agent service is running. Open Services.msc and look for the Cortex XDR service, or run 'sc query trps' or 'sc query cxdr' from an elevated command prompt.
    Affected if The service is not running or fails to start.
  5. Inspect program directory for unauthorized files
    Examine the Cortex XDR installation directory for unexpected or suspicious files that a standard user could have placed there. Check for files in locations where only administrators should have write access.
    Affected if Unexpected files exist in the program directory and the agent fails to start.

The system is affected if Cortex XDR Agent is installed with a version within 5.0.x (<5.0.10), 6.1.x (<6.1.7), 7.0.x (<7.0.3), or 7.1.x (<7.1.2), and the agent fails to start due to unauthorized files in its program directory.

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 5.0.10 / 6.1.7 / 7.0.3 or later
Fixed in 5.0.106.1.77.0.3
Interim mitigation

Update affected Cortex XDR Agent versions to 5.0.10, 6.1.7, 7.0.3, or 7.1.2 or later. Additionally, restrict file system permissions on the program directory to prevent standard users from creating files.

Fix this in Cortex Xdr Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2020-2020 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
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