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GlobalprotectApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3038

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.1.8 / 5.2.4 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
A denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app on Windows systems allows a limited Windows user to send specifically-crafted input to the GlobalProtect app that results in a Windows blue screen of death (BSOD) error. This issue impacts: GlobalProtect app 5.1 versions earlier than GlobalProtect app 5.1.8; GlobalProtect app 5.2 versions earlier than GlobalProtect app 5.2.4.

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

A limited Windows user can send specifically-crafted input to the GlobalProtect app that causes a Windows blue screen of death (BSOD), resulting in denial of service. The vulnerability lies in how the GlobalProtect app handles certain input without proper validation, allowing a non-privileged user to crash the system.

MitigationUpgrade GlobalProtect app to version 5.1.8 or later for 5.1.x releases, or 5.2.4 or later for 5.2.x releases.

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:>= 5.1.0, < 5.1.8>= 5.2.0, < 5.2.4

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. Verify GlobalProtect is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*GlobalProtect*"}' in PowerShell
    Affected if GlobalProtect is listed in installed programs
  2. Find installed GlobalProtect version
    Right-click the GlobalProtect icon in the system tray, select 'About GlobalProtect', or check the version in Programs and Features
    Affected if Version displayed is 5.1.x where x is 0-7, or 5.2.x where x is 0-3
  3. Confirm exact version number
    Open GlobalProtect client UI and navigate to the version information, or check the executable properties of GlobalProtect.exe (typically in C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect\)
    Affected if Version is between 5.1.0 and 5.1.7 inclusive, or between 5.2.0 and 5.2.3 inclusive

If GlobalProtect version is 5.1.0-5.1.7 or 5.2.0-5.2.3, the system is affected by this vulnerability.

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 5.1.8 / 5.2.4 or later
Fixed in 5.1.85.2.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade GlobalProtect app to version 5.1.8 or later for 5.1.x releases, or 5.2.4 or later for 5.2.x releases.

Fix this in Globalprotect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-3038 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data