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Cortex Xdr AgentApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2022-0015

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.12 / 6.1.9 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent that enables an authenticated local user to execute programs with elevated privileges. 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.

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

Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent allows an authenticated local user to execute programs with elevated privileges by exploiting insufficient privilege controls in the agent. The vulnerability affects versions 5.0 before 5.0.12 and 6.1 before 6.1.9.

MitigationUpgrade Cortex XDR agent to version 5.0.12 or later, or version 6.1.9 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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
Affected:>= 5.0, < 5.0.12>= 6.1, < 6.1.9

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 XDR agent is installed
    Check for the presence of Cortex XDR agent files or running processes on the system. On Windows, look for the 'Cortex XDR' service or process. On Linux, check for /opt/paloaltonetworks/cortex_xdr or similar installation directories.
    Affected if The agent is not installed on the system, the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Use the appropriate method to query the installed Cortex XDR agent version. On Windows, check the program version via the Windows Registry or the Add/Remove Programs panel. On Linux, run: rpm -qa | grep -i cortex or dpkg -l | grep -i cortex. Alternatively, check the agent UI or endpoint management console for the version information.
    Affected if Unable to determine the version prevents accurate assessment of exposure.
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Evaluate if the installed version falls within: 5.0.x where x < 12, or 6.1.x where x < 9. Versions 5.0.12 and later, and 6.1.9 and later, are not affected.
    Affected if The installed version is 5.0.0 through 5.0.11, or 6.1.0 through 6.1.8.
  4. Assess user access context
    Review whether local authenticated users have access to the system where Cortex XDR agent is running. This vulnerability requires an authenticated local user to attempt privilege escalation.
    Affected if The system permits local user authentication and the affected agent version is installed.

A system is affected if Cortex XDR agent versions 5.0.0-5.0.11 or 6.1.0-6.1.8 are installed and the system allows local user authentication.

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 5.0.12 / 6.1.9 or later
Fixed in 5.0.126.1.9
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Cortex XDR agent to version 5.0.12 or later, or version 6.1.9 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Cortex XDR agent 5.0.12 (for 5.0.x branch) or 6.1.9 (for 6.1.x branch)

  1. Identify the current Cortex XDR agent version by checking the installed software or using system inventory tools
  2. Determine which version branch is currently in use (5.0.x or 6.1.x)
  3. For Cortex XDR agent 5.0.x: Upgrade to version 5.0.12 or later
  4. For Cortex XDR agent 6.1.x: Upgrade to version 6.1.9 or later
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by confirming the new version number
  6. Restart the Cortex XDR agent service if required by the upgrade process
  7. Validate that the vulnerability is resolved by verifying the DLL search path configuration or running authenticated scans
Caveat Review Cortex XDR release notes for any agent compatibility changes or functionality updates before upgrading

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

Fix this in Cortex Xdr Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,950
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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-2022-0015 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