dbcve.org
GlobalprotectApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2024-9473

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.5 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 privilege escalation vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app on Windows allows a locally authenticated non-administrative Windows user to escalate their privileges to NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM through the use of the repair functionality offered by the .msi file used to install GlobalProtect.

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

The GlobalProtect app's Windows MSI installer includes a repair function that can be invoked by any locally authenticated user. When triggered, this repair process runs with elevated NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM privileges, allowing a non-administrative user to execute arbitrary code at SYSTEM level and achieve privilege escalation.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when released by Palo Alto Networks; in the interim, restrict non-administrative users' ability to invoke MSI repair operations through Windows Installer policies or group policy restrictions.

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
GlobalprotectApplication
Affected:>= 5.1, < 6.2.5= 6.3.0= 6.3.1

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. Verify GlobalProtect installation
    Check for GlobalProtect in Windows Programs and Features, or look for the installation directory at C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect
    Affected if GlobalProtect is present on the system
  2. Determine installed GlobalProtect version
    Open Programs and Features, find GlobalProtect, and note the version column; alternatively, check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\GlobalProtect or query via msiexec /x {product GUID}
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 5.1 and < 6.2.5, or equals exactly 6.3.0 or 6.3.1
  3. Confirm non-administrator user context
    Run whoami /all or whoami /groups to verify the current user is not a member of the Administrators group and does not have elevated privileges
    Affected if The current user is a standard domain or local user without administrative rights
  4. Test MSI repair invocation capability
    Attempt to invoke msiexec /fa {GlobalProtect MSI Product Code} from a non-administrator command prompt; the product code can be found in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ or by examining the original MSI installer
    Affected if The repair operation executes without requiring administrator credentials, indicating any authenticated user can trigger it

A system is affected if GlobalProtect version is 5.1 through 6.2.4, or exactly 6.3.0 or 6.3.1, and non-administrative users can trigger the MSI repair function which then runs with NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM privileges.

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 6.2.5 or later
Fixed in 6.2.5
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when released by Palo Alto Networks; in the interim, restrict non-administrative users' ability to invoke MSI repair operations through Windows Installer policies or group policy restrictions.

Recommended fix High confidence

GlobalProtect 6.3.2 or later (or 6.2.5-6.2.x if staying on 6.2 branch)

  1. Identify the currently installed GlobalProtect version by checking Add/Remove Programs or running the installer with version flag
  2. Download the appropriate fixed version from the Palo Alto Networks support portal (6.2.5 or later for 6.2.x branch, 6.3.2 or later for 6.3.x branch)
  3. Ensure you have appropriate backup and rollback capabilities before proceeding
  4. Uninstall the current GlobalProtect version or apply the upgrade installer
  5. Verify the new version is installed correctly and the vulnerability is remediated
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - test in non-production environment first, ensure compatibility with PAN-OS gateway versions

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

Fix this in Globalprotect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,392.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-9473 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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