dbcve.org
Cortex XsoarApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3044

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-22
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 authorization vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR enables a remote unauthenticated attacker with network access to the Cortex XSOAR server to perform unauthorized actions through the REST API. This issue impacts: Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0 builds later than 1016923 and earlier than 1271064; Cortex XSOAR 6.2.0 builds earlier than 1271065. This issue does not impact Cortex XSOAR 5.5.0, Cortex XSOAR 6.0.0, Cortex XSOAR 6.0.1, or Cortex XSOAR 6.0.2 versions. All Cortex XSOAR instances hosted by Palo Alto Networks are upgraded to resolve this vulnerability. No additional action is required for these instances.

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

Cortex XSOAR contains an improper authorization vulnerability in its REST API that allows remote unauthenticated attackers with network access to bypass authorization checks and perform unauthorized actions. This critical flaw affects specific builds of versions 6.1.0 and 6.2.0, enabling full compromise of the security orchestration platform through the API.

MitigationUpgrade to Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0 build 1271064 or later, or 6.2.0 build 1271065 or later. Palo Alto Networks-hosted instances require no action as they are already patched.

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 XsoarApplication
Affected:= 6.1.0= 6.2.0

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 installed Cortex XSOAR version
    Access the Cortex XSOAR web interface and navigate to Settings > About, or use the /health endpoint of the REST API to retrieve the server version information
    Affected if The version displayed is 6.1.0 or 6.2.0 exactly
  2. Retrieve the build number
    In the About page or API response, locate the build number (also shown as the revision number). This is a numeric value such as 1271064 or similar
    Affected if The build number exists and is displayed
  3. Compare build against vulnerable range for version 6.1.0
    If version 6.1.0 is installed, check if the build number is lower than 1271064. The vulnerable builds are those below this threshold
    Affected if Version 6.1.0 is installed with a build number lower than 1271064
  4. Compare build against vulnerable range for version 6.2.0
    If version 6.2.0 is installed, check if the build number is lower than 1271065. The vulnerable builds are those below this threshold
    Affected if Version 6.2.0 is installed with a build number lower than 1271065
  5. Verify REST API accessibility
    Confirm that the Cortex XSOAR REST API is exposed to network access (typically on ports 443 or 8080). Check firewall or reverse proxy configuration to determine if unauthenticated network access is possible
    Affected if The REST API is externally accessible without authentication

You are affected if your Cortex XSOAR is version 6.1.0 with build lower than 1271064, or version 6.2.0 with build lower than 1271065, and the REST API is network-accessible.

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 to Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0 build 1271064 or later, or 6.2.0 build 1271065 or later. Palo Alto Networks-hosted instances require no action as they are already patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0 build >=1271064 or 6.2.0 build >=1271065, or upgrade to latest 6.x release (6.3.0+)

  1. Identify current Cortex XSOAR build version by navigating to Settings > About in the Cortex XSOAR web interface
  2. For Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0: Upgrade to build 1271064 or later to remediate the vulnerability
  3. For Cortex XSOAR 6.2.0: Upgrade to build 1271065 or later to remediate the vulnerability
  4. Alternatively, upgrade to the latest available Cortex XSOAR 6.x release (6.3.0 or later) which contains the security fix
  5. After upgrade, verify the build number reflects the patched version in Settings > About
  6. Validate that REST API authentication is functioning correctly with proper authorization checks
Caveat Standard upgrade precautions apply - review release notes for any configuration or migration considerations before upgrading production systems

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

Fix this in Cortex Xsoar Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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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-2021-3044 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