Cortex Xdr AgentApplication · Paloaltonetworks
CVE-2022-0014
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 untrusted search path vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent that enables a local attacker with file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\) to store a program that can then be unintentionally executed by another local user when that user utilizes a Live Terminal session. This issue impacts: Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 5.0.12; Cortex XDR agent 6.1 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 6.1.9; Cortex XDR agent 7.2 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 7.2.4; Cortex XDR agent 7.3 versions earlier than Cortex XDR agent 7.3.2.
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 untrusted search path vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent allows a local attacker with file creation privileges in the Windows root directory (C:\) to place a malicious executable that gets unintentionally executed when other users initiate Live Terminal sessions, enabling local 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
Cortex Xdr AgentApplication
>= 5.0, < 5.0.12>= 6.1, < 6.1.9>= 7.2, < 7.2.4>= 7.3, < 7.3.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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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Confirm Cortex XDR agent is installedOpen Windows Registry and look for the Cortex XDR agent under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ or check for the installation directory typically found in Program FilesAffected if Cortex XDR agent is not found on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
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Determine the installed version of Cortex XDR agentCheck the version property of the Cortex XDR agent executable (often named cortex.exe or similar) in the installation directory, or query via Windows Registry under the Uninstall keyAffected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 5.0.x where x < 12, 6.1.x where x < 9, 7.2.x where x < 4, or 7.3.x where x < 2
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Check for presence of Live Terminal functionalityInspect the Cortex XDR agent configuration files or logs for references to Live Terminal sessions, or verify if the Live Terminal feature is available in the agent interfaceAffected if Live Terminal feature is present and could be initiated by users on the system
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Verify user permissions on Windows root directoryCheck if untrusted users have file creation privileges in the C:\ root directory by reviewing NTFS permissions on the C: driveAffected if Non-admin users have write or file creation access to C:\, allowing them to place a malicious executable
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Inspect Windows root directory for suspicious executablesList executable files in C:\ that may have been placed as part of an attack, looking for commonly abused names that match the vulnerable search pathAffected if Unexpected executable files exist in C:\ that could be leveraged for privilege escalation via the untrusted search path
The environment is affected if Cortex XDR agent is installed with a version in the vulnerable ranges AND the Live Terminal feature is present AND untrusted users have file creation access to the C:\ root directory.
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 · scoped5.0.126.1.97.2.4
Upgrade Cortex XDR agent to version 5.0.12, 6.1.9, 7.2.4, or 7.3.2 or later as appropriate for the deployed version branch.
Cortex XDR agent 5.0.12, 6.1.9, 7.2.4, or 7.3.2 (or later) depending on your current major version branch
- 1. Identify the current installed version of Cortex XDR agent on affected Windows systems.
- 2. Based on the current version, determine the appropriate upgrade path to a fixed version.
- 3. For Cortex XDR agent 5.0.x versions: upgrade to version 5.0.12 or later.
- 4. For Cortex XDR agent 6.1.x versions: upgrade to version 6.1.9 or later.
- 5. For Cortex XDR agent 7.2.x versions: upgrade to version 7.2.4 or later.
- 6. For Cortex XDR agent 7.3.x versions: upgrade to version 7.3.2 or later.
- 7. Download the upgrade from the Palo Alto Networks support portal or using your Cortex XDR management console.
- 8. Apply the upgrade following standard Palo Alto Networks upgrade procedures for Cortex XDR agents.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Cortex Xdr Agent
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $2,464.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-0014 — 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-2022-0014 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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