dbcve.org
Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3058

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.8 / 10.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 OS command injection vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS web interface enables an authenticated administrator with permissions to use XML API the ability to execute arbitrary OS commands to escalate privileges. This issue impacts: PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.14-h3; PAN-OS 9.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.1.11-h2; PAN-OS 10.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 10.0.8; PAN-OS 10.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 10.1.3. This issue does not impact Prisma Access firewalls.

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

OS command injection vulnerability in the PAN-OS web interface allows an authenticated administrator with XML API permissions to execute arbitrary OS commands, enabling privilege escalation. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the web interface API handler, allowing command injection through XML API requests.

MitigationUpgrade PAN-OS to the fixed versions (8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, or 10.1.3 or later). Until patched, limit XML API permissions to only absolutely necessary administrators and monitor for suspicious API activity.

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, <= 8.1.20>= 9.0.0, <= 9.0.14>= 9.1.0, <= 9.1.11>= 10.0.0, < 10.0.8>= 10.1.0, < 10.1.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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. Check PAN-OS version
    Navigate to Device > Setup > Operations or run 'show system info' in the CLI to view the installed PAN-OS version
    Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 8.1.0-8.1.20, 9.0.0-9.0.14, 9.1.0-9.1.11, 10.0.0-10.0.7, or 10.1.0-10.1.2
  2. Verify XML API access is enabled
    Navigate to Device > Access Control > XML API and confirm whether the XML API service is enabled on the management interface
    Affected if XML API is enabled and accessible from the management interface or network where admins connect
  3. Review admin accounts with XML API permissions
    Go to Device > Administrators and examine each admin account; check the 'XML API' permission column or run 'show admins' in CLI to list admin profiles and their capabilities
    Affected if Any administrator account has XML API permissions enabled, especially those that may not require it
  4. Inspect API request logs for suspicious activity
    Review Monitor > Logs > Configuration or use 'show log system' CLI command filtering for XML API events; look for unusual command strings or unexpected API calls
    Affected if Logs show unexpected or malformed XML API requests containing shell metacharacters or suspicious command patterns

You are affected if your PAN-OS version is within the vulnerable ranges AND XML API is enabled with at least one administrator account having XML API permissions.

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 10.0.8 / 10.1.3 or later
Fixed in 10.0.810.1.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade PAN-OS to the fixed versions (8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, or 10.1.3 or later). Until patched, limit XML API permissions to only absolutely necessary administrators and monitor for suspicious API activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, or 10.1.3 (depending on current branch)

  1. 1. Verify current PAN-OS version by navigating to Device > Support or using 'show system info' command
  2. 2. Confirm administrator access with XML API permissions is required for exploitation - verify only trusted administrators have this access
  3. 3. Download the appropriate hotfix or upgrade from Palo Alto Networks support portal: https://support.paloaltonetworks.com/
  4. 4. For PAN-OS 8.1.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1 or later
  5. 5. For PAN-OS 9.0.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 9.0.14-h3 or later
  6. 6. For PAN-OS 9.1.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 9.1.11-h2 or later
  7. 7. For PAN-OS 10.0.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 10.0.8 or later
  8. 8. For PAN-OS 10.1.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 10.1.3 or later
Caveat Review Palo Alto Networks Upgrade Guide for compatibility notes; some legacy features may require migration

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

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2021-3058 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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