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Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3046

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.19 / 9.0.14 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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 authentication vulnerability exists in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software that enables a SAML authenticated attacker to impersonate any other user in the GlobalProtect Portal and GlobalProtect Gateway when they are configured to use SAML authentication. This issue impacts: PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.19; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.14; PAN-OS 9.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.1.9; PAN-OS 10.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 10.0.5. PAN-OS 10.1 versions are not impacted.

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 improper authentication vulnerability in PAN-OS GlobalProtect (Portal and Gateway) when configured for SAML authentication. A SAML-authenticated attacker can impersonate any other user by exploiting the authentication validation logic, effectively bypassing authorization controls and gaining unauthorized access to VPN resources.

MitigationUpgrade PAN-OS to version 8.1.19+, 9.0.14+, 9.1.9+, 10.0.5+, or 10.1+ as appropriate. If immediate patching is not feasible, review SAML IdP configurations and consider implementing additional access controls or monitoring for anomalous authentication patterns.

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:>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.19>= 9.0.0, < 9.0.14>= 9.1.0, < 9.1.9>= 10.0.0, < 10.0.5

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify PAN-OS version
    Access the device management interface or use command 'show system info' to retrieve the installed PAN-OS version.
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 8.1.0 to 8.1.18, 9.0.0 to 9.0.13, 9.1.0 to 9.1.8, or 10.0.0 to 10.0.4.
  2. Confirm GlobalProtect is enabled
    Navigate to Network > GlobalProtect > Portals (or Gateways) in the PAN-OS management interface, or use 'show global-protect' commands via CLI to verify GlobalProtect is configured.
    Affected if GlobalProtect portal or gateway is active and accepting connections.
  3. Verify SAML authentication is configured
    Check the GlobalProtect portal or gateway configuration under Authentication > SAML Identity Provider (IdP) settings. Confirm an IdP profile is attached to the GlobalProtect authentication profile.
    Affected if SAML authentication is selected as the authentication method for GlobalProtect.

If the PAN-OS version is within the affected ranges AND GlobalProtect is using SAML authentication, the environment is vulnerable to authentication bypass and user impersonation.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.1.19 / 9.0.14 / 9.1.9 or later
Fixed in 8.1.199.0.149.1.9
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PAN-OS to version 8.1.19+, 9.0.14+, 9.1.9+, 10.0.5+, or 10.1+ as appropriate. If immediate patching is not feasible, review SAML IdP configurations and consider implementing additional access controls or monitoring for anomalous authentication patterns.

Recommended fix High confidence

PAN-OS 8.1.19, 9.0.14, 9.1.9, or 10.0.5 (depending on current branch); note PAN-OS 10.1 is not affected

  1. 1. Identify the current PAN-OS version running on the affected GlobalProtect Portal and Gateway devices
  2. 2. Determine which version branch you are on (8.1.x, 9.0.x, 9.1.x, or 10.0.x)
  3. 3. Download the appropriate fixed PAN-OS version from the Palo Alto Networks support portal: 8.1.19 for 8.1.x, 9.0.14 for 9.0.x, 9.1.9 for 9.1.x, or 10.0.5 for 10.0.x
  4. 4. Upload the upgrade file to the PAN-OS device via the web interface (Device > Software) or CLI
  5. 5. Install the upgrade and reboot the device as instructed by PAN-OS
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the device is functioning and GlobalProtect Portal/Gateway are accessible
  7. 7. Confirm the PAN-OS version reflects the patched release
Caveat Review Palo Alto Networks release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between your current version and the target fixed version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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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-2021-3046 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data