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Cortex Xdr AgentApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2022-0029

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.0.12 / 7.5.101 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 improper link resolution vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows devices allows a local attacker to read files on the system with elevated privileges when generating a tech support file.

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 · moderate confidence

A local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Cortex XDR agent for Windows where improper link resolution during tech support file generation allows a local attacker to read arbitrary files on the system with elevated privileges by exploiting symlinks or path traversal.

MitigationApply the vendor patch from Palo Alto Networks when available; in the interim, restrict local non-privileged access to the affected Windows systems and monitor for unauthorized tech support file generation 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
Cortex Xdr AgentApplication
Affected:>= 5.0, < 5.0.12>= 7.5, < 7.5.101>= 7.7, < 7.7.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 installation
    Open Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PaloAltoNetworks\Cortex\XDR\Install or check Add/Remove Programs for Cortex XDR agent entry
    Affected if Cortex XDR agent is not installed on the system
  2. Identify installed Cortex XDR version
    In the registry key from step 1, locate the Version value (or check program files directory for version.txt). Run: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\PaloAltoNetworks\Cortex\XDR" /v Version
    Affected if The installed version falls within >=5.0 and <5.0.12, OR >=7.5 and <7.5.101, OR >=7.7 and <7.7.3
  3. Verify tech support file generation capability exists
    Check for presence of support utility executable in Cortex XDR installation directory (commonly in Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\Cortex XDR\bin or support subfolder). Look for files like support.exe, xdr_support.exe, or similar support generation tools
    Affected if The tech support generation utility is present and executable by the user context in question
  4. Check file system permissions on Cortex XDR directories
    Right-click the Cortex XDR installation folder, go to Properties > Security, and verify which users/groups have read/write/modify permissions. Use icacls "C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\Cortex XDR" to list permissions
    Affected if Non-privileged local users have write access to directories where support files are generated or where symlink/traversal attacks could be staged

A system is affected if Cortex XDR agent for Windows is installed with a version matching the affected ranges and the tech support file generation feature is accessible to local users

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 / 7.5.101 / 7.7.3 or later
Fixed in 5.0.127.5.1017.7.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch from Palo Alto Networks when available; in the interim, restrict local non-privileged access to the affected Windows systems and monitor for unauthorized tech support file generation activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to 5.0.12 (or later 5.x), 7.5.101 (or later 7.5.x), or 7.7.3 (or later 7.7.x) depending on your current version branch

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Cortex XDR Agent version on affected Windows devices
  2. 2. Based on your current version branch, plan the upgrade path: if on 5.0.x upgrade to 5.0.12 or later; if on 7.5.x upgrade to 7.5.101 or later; if on 7.7.x upgrade to 7.7.3 or later
  3. 3. Obtain the upgrade package from the Palo Alto Networks support portal or your dedicated support channel
  4. 4. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to verify compatibility with your existing security infrastructure
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window and deploy the upgrade to production systems following your standard change management process
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the Cortex XDR Agent is running correctly and maintaining protection functions
Caveat Standard agent upgrade - review release notes for any compatibility changes with your endpoint protection workflow

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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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-2022-0029 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