Prisma AccessApplication · Paloaltonetworks
CVE-2021-3061
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 · uneditedAn OS command injection vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS command line interface (CLI) enables an authenticated administrator with access to the CLI 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. Prisma Access customers that have Prisma Access 2.1 firewalls are impacted by this issue.
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 confidenceAn OS command injection vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS CLI allows an authenticated administrator with CLI access to execute arbitrary OS commands with elevated privileges, enabling privilege escalation.
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
Prisma AccessApplication
= 2.1
Pan OsOperating system
>= 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, < 10.1.3CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify PAN-OS versionLog into the PAN-OS CLI as an administrator and run the command: `show system info` or `show version`. This displays the installed PAN-OS version number.Affected if The displayed version falls within these ranges: 8.1.0 through 8.1.20, 9.0.0 through 9.0.14, 9.1.0 through 9.1.11, 10.0.0 through 10.0.7, or 10.1.0 through 10.1.2.
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Identify Prisma Access versionIf the device is running Prisma Access, check the version through the Prisma Access dashboard or by running: `show system info` in the PAN-OS management CLI.Affected if The installed Prisma Access version is exactly 2.1.
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Verify CLI administrator access existsReview the admin user configuration by running: `show admin` or checking the Administrator settings in the PAN-OS web interface under Device > Administrators. Confirm whether any administrator accounts have CLI access enabled.Affected if Any administrator account exists with CLI access privileges, and the PAN-OS version is in the affected range listed above.
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Check for unexpected privileged commandsReview system logs and audit logs for any CLI commands that executed with elevated privileges. Run: `show log system` or `show log audit` and look for commands containing shell operators (such as `;`, `|`, or `$`) that may indicate command injection attempts.Affected if Logs show CLI commands with shell operators or arbitrary OS command execution from an administrator session, and the version is in the affected range.
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Inspect for unauthorized privilege escalationCheck for any unexpected changes to user privileges or the creation of new administrative accounts. Use: `show admin <username>` for each admin account, and review system logs for any `set` commands modifying privilege levels.Affected if Unexpected administrative accounts appear, or privilege level modifications occurred without documented change requests, and the PAN-OS version is affected.
The environment is affected if the installed PAN-OS version is 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, AND an administrator with CLI access exists.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped10.0.810.1.3
Upgrade PAN-OS to the fixed versions (8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, 10.1.3 or later) or apply the corresponding patches to remediate this vulnerability.
Upgrade to PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1 / 9.0.14-h3 / 9.1.11-h2 / 10.0.8 / 10.1.3 or later (or later Prisma Access version)
- 1. Identify the current PAN-OS or Prisma Access version by navigating to Device > Setup > Operations or using 'show system info' in the CLI
- 2. For PAN-OS 8.1.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1 or later
- 3. For PAN-OS 9.0.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 9.0.14-h3 or later
- 4. For PAN-OS 9.1.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 9.1.11-h2 or later
- 5. For PAN-OS 10.0.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 10.0.8 or later
- 6. For PAN-OS 10.1.x: Upgrade to PAN-OS 10.1.3 or later
- 7. For Prisma Access 2.1: Upgrade to a later Prisma Access version (contact Palo Alto Networks for specific migration path)
- 8. After upgrade, verify the fix by confirming the new version in Device > Setup > Operations
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Prisma Access
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-3061 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-3061 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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