Prisma AccessApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2021-3060

HIGH · 8.1 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 →

90/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

An OS command injection vulnerability in the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) feature of PAN-OS software allows an unauthenticated network-based attacker with specific knowledge of the firewall configuration to execute arbitrary code with root user privileges. The attacker must have network access to the GlobalProtect interfaces to exploit this issue. 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. Prisma Access customers with Prisma Access 2.1 Preferred and Prisma Access 2.1 Innovation firewalls are impacted by this issue.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

An OS command injection vulnerability in the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) feature of PAN-OS allows unauthenticated attackers with network access to GlobalProtect interfaces and knowledge of the firewall configuration to execute arbitrary code with root privileges.

MitigationUpgrade PAN-OS to versions 8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, or 10.1.3 and later. For Prisma Access, upgrade to versions beyond 2.1 Innovation/Preferred.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Prisma AccessApplication

Affected:= 2.1

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

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify PAN-OS or Prisma Access version

Log into the firewall management interface or use CLI command 'show system info' to retrieve the installed software version

Affected if the version falls within any of these ranges: PAN-OS 8.1.0-8.1.20, 9.0.0-9.0.14, 9.1.0-9.1.11, 10.0.0-10.0.7, 10.1.0-10.1.2, or Prisma Access 2.1
Confirm GlobalProtect interface is accessible

Verify that the GlobalProtect portal or gateway is exposed to the network and accessible from untrusted networks

Affected if GlobalProtect is reachable from external networks without additional authentication barriers
Verify SCEP feature is configured

Check the firewall configuration for SCEP certificate enrollment settings, typically found under Device > Certificate Management > SCEP or via CLI 'show deviceconfig setting scep'

Affected if SCEP is enabled or configured on the firewall

The environment is affected if the PAN-OS version is within the vulnerable ranges AND GlobalProtect is network-accessible AND SCEP is configured on the device.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

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 versions 8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, or 10.1.3 and later. For Prisma Access, upgrade to versions beyond 2.1 Innovation/Preferred.

Recommended fix High confidence

PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1 / 9.0.14-h3 / 9.1.11-h2 / 10.0.8 / 10.1.3 (or later) - Prisma Access contact vendor for update

1. Identify the current PAN-OS or Prisma Access version by navigating to Device > Support in the web interface or using 'show system info' in the CLI.
2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version: For PAN-OS 8.1.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1 or later; For PAN-OS 9.0.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 9.0.14-h3 or later; For PAN-OS 9.1.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 9.1.11-h2 or later; For PAN-OS 10.0.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 10.0.8 or later; For PAN-OS 10.1.x, upgrade to PAN-OS 10.1.3 or later.
3. Download the appropriate PAN-OS update from the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal.
4. Before upgrading, backup the device configuration via Device > Setup > Operations > Save Named Configuration Snapshot.
5. Upload and install the update via Device > Software > Upload, then install (Device > Software > Install).
6. For Prisma Access 2.1 Preferred/Innovation tenants, contact Palo Alto Networks for the specific Prisma Access update.
7. After upgrade, verify the SCEP feature configuration and confirm no unauthorized changes exist.
8. Review GlobalProtect interface access controls to ensure only authorized networks can reach the SCEP service.

Caveat Standard PAN-OS upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for behavior changes and ensure compatibility with connected systems before deploying in production

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

Fix this in Prisma Access Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

13.0 hours of engineering $2,280

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

docs.paloaltonetworks.comVendor Advisory
docs.paloaltonetworks.comVendor Advisory
security.paloaltonetworks.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-3060 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-3060?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 10.0.8 / 10.1.3 or later

Severity 8.1 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 33.9%

Affects: Prisma Access

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Prisma Access 13 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,280

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2021-3060 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References