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Prisma CloudApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3033

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 improper verification of cryptographic signature vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud Compute console. This vulnerability enables an attacker to bypass signature validation during SAML authentication by logging in to the Prisma Cloud Compute console as any authorized user. This issue impacts: All versions of Prisma Cloud Compute 19.11, Prisma Cloud Compute 20.04, and Prisma Cloud Compute 20.09; Prisma Cloud Compute 20.12 before update 1. Prisma Cloud Compute SaaS version is not impacted by this vulnerability.

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

An improper verification of cryptographic signature vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud Compute console allows attackers to bypass SAML signature validation and authenticate as any authorized user by crafting malicious SAML responses.

MitigationUpgrade Prisma Cloud Compute to version 20.12 update 1 or later, or to a patched version of 19.11, 20.04, or 20.09. Prisma Cloud Compute SaaS versions are unaffected.

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
Prisma CloudApplication
Affected:= 19.11= 20.04= 20.09= 20.12

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 Prisma Cloud Compute version
    Access the Prisma Cloud Compute console administration settings or API to retrieve the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly 19.11, 20.04, 20.09, or 20.12
  2. Confirm SAML authentication is configured
    Navigate to the identity provider or authentication settings in the Prisma Cloud Compute console to verify if SAML-based single sign-on is enabled
    Affected if SAML authentication is actively configured and in use for user logins
  3. Inspect SAML signature validation settings
    Review the SAML configuration within Prisma Cloud Compute to confirm whether cryptographic signature verification for SAML responses is enabled or properly enforced
    Affected if Signature validation is disabled, set to optional, or misconfigured such that unsigned or improperly signed SAML responses are accepted

A user is affected if their Prisma Cloud Compute version is exactly 19.11, 20.04, 20.09, or 20.12 and SAML authentication is configured with signature validation not properly enforced.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Prisma Cloud Compute to version 20.12 update 1 or later, or to a patched version of 19.11, 20.04, or 20.09. Prisma Cloud Compute SaaS versions are unaffected.

Recommended fix High confidence

Prisma Cloud Compute 20.12 Update 1 or later

  1. Identify the currently running Prisma Cloud Compute version by checking the console or deployment configuration
  2. If running Prisma Cloud Compute 20.12, upgrade to Prisma Cloud Compute 20.12 Update 1 or later
  3. If running Prisma Cloud Compute 19.11, 20.04, or 20.09, upgrade to a supported version (Prisma Cloud Compute 20.12 Update 1 or later) as these older versions may not have individual patches
  4. After upgrade, verify SAML authentication still functions correctly
  5. Confirm the vulnerability is remediated by verifying signature validation is enforced during SAML authentication
Caveat Review Palo Alto Networks release notes for 20.12 Update 1 for any configuration or feature changes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Prisma Cloud Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2021-3033 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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