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Cortex XsoarApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3051

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
90/100
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 Cortex XSOAR SAML authentication that enables an unauthenticated network-based attacker with specific knowledge of the Cortex XSOAR instance to access protected resources and perform unauthorized actions on the Cortex XSOAR server. This issue impacts: Cortex XSOAR 5.5.0 builds earlier than 1578677; Cortex XSOAR 6.0.2 builds earlier than 1576452; Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0 builds earlier than 1578663; Cortex XSOAR 6.2.0 builds earlier than 1578666. All Cortex XSOAR instances hosted by Palo Alto Networks are protected from 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

Improper verification of cryptographic signature in Cortex XSOAR SAML authentication allows unauthenticated network-based attackers with specific knowledge of the instance to bypass authentication and access protected resources or perform unauthorized actions on the server.

MitigationUpgrade Cortex XSOAR to build 1578677 (5.5.0), 1576452 (6.0.2), 1578663 (6.1.0), or 1578666 (6.2.0) or later. Palo Alto Networks hosted instances require no action.

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:= 5.5.0= 6.0.2= 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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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. Confirm Cortex XSOAR is deployed
    Identify if Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR is installed in your environment. This may be visible in your asset inventory, running services, or installed applications list.
    Affected if Cortex XSOAR is present in the environment
  2. Check installed Cortex XSOAR version
    Retrieve the installed version of Cortex XSOAR. Compare your installed version to the affected versions: 5.5.0, 6.0.2, 6.1.0, or 6.2.0.
    Affected if The installed version exactly matches 5.5.0, 6.0.2, 6.1.0, or 6.2.0
  3. Verify SAML authentication is enabled
    Inspect the Cortex XSOAR configuration to determine if SAML-based authentication is configured and active. This is the authentication mechanism through which the vulnerability can be exploited.
    Affected if SAML authentication is enabled and the affected version is running
  4. Check for recent authentication anomalies
    Review authentication logs for the Cortex XSOAR instance, focusing on SAML authentication attempts, particularly those originating from unexpected sources or using unusual SAML assertions.
    Affected if SAML authentication is in use with an affected version and unexpected authentication patterns are observed

Your environment is affected if Cortex XSOAR is running version 5.5.0, 6.0.2, 6.1.0, or 6.2.0 with SAML authentication enabled.

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 Cortex XSOAR to build 1578677 (5.5.0), 1576452 (6.0.2), 1578663 (6.1.0), or 1578666 (6.2.0) or later. Palo Alto Networks hosted instances require no action.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to the appropriate build number for your current version (1578677 for 5.5.0, 1576452 for 6.0.2, 1578663 for 6.1.0, or 1578666 for 6.2.0)

  1. 1. Identify the current Cortex XSOAR version and build number running in your environment
  2. 2. For Cortex XSOAR 5.5.0: Upgrade to build 1578677 or later
  3. 3. For Cortex XSOAR 6.0.2: Upgrade to build 1576452 or later
  4. 4. For Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0: Upgrade to build 1578663 or later
  5. 5. For Cortex XSOAR 6.2.0: Upgrade to build 1578666 or later
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the build number in Cortex XSOAR Settings > About
  7. 7. Test SAML authentication functionality after the upgrade

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

Fix this in Cortex Xsoar Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-3051 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