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GlobalprotectApplication · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2026-0251

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.0.11 / 6.0.13 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
Multiple local privilege escalation vulnerabilities in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect™ app allow a local user to escalate their privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM on Windows and root on macOS and Linux. This enables a non-administrative user to execute arbitrary commands with administrative privileges. The GlobalProtect app on iOS, Android, Chrome OS and GlobalProtect UWP app are not affected.

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

Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app contains multiple local privilege escalation vulnerabilities allowing a non-administrative local user to gain NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM privileges on Windows or root privileges on macOS and Linux. The vulnerability enables arbitrary command execution with administrative privileges through unspecified flaws in the application's privilege handling mechanisms.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch for GlobalProtect app when available. Until patched, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

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:>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.11>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.13>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.8>= 6.3.0, < 6.3.3= 6.2.8= 6.3.3

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
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. Identify operating system
    Run 'systeminfo' on Windows or 'uname -a' on macOS/Linux to confirm the OS type
    Affected if Running Windows, macOS, or Linux with GlobalProtect installed
  2. Locate GlobalProtect installation
    On Windows check C:\Program Files\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect or C:\Program Files (x86)\Palo Alto Networks\GlobalProtect; on macOS check /Applications/GlobalProtect.app; on Linux check /usr/local/globalprotect or /opt/paloaltonetworks/globalprotect
    Affected if GlobalProtect software is present on the system
  3. Determine installed GlobalProtect version
    On Windows check the version property of panGPA.exe or panGpd.exe in the installation folder, or look in Add/Remove Programs; on macOS right-click GlobalProtect.app and select Get Info to see the version; on Linux run 'dpkg -l | grep globalprotect' or 'rpm -qa | grep globalprotect'
    Affected if Version matches one of the affected ranges: 6.0.x before 6.0.11, 6.2.x before or equal to 6.2.8, 6.3.x before or equal to 6.3.3
  4. Verify GlobalProtect service/process is running
    On Windows run 'services.msc' and look for 'GlobalProtect' service or run 'tasklist | findstr -i pan'; on macOS run 'ps aux | grep -i global'; on Linux run 'systemctl status globalprotect' or 'ps aux | grep -i pan'
    Affected if GlobalProtect service or process is active on the system

The system is affected if GlobalProtect is installed with a version in the ranges 6.0.0-6.0.10, 6.2.0-6.2.8, or 6.3.0-6.3.3 and the application is actively running on Windows, macOS, or Linux.

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 6.0.11 / 6.0.13 / 6.2.8 or later
Fixed in 6.0.116.0.136.2.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch for GlobalProtect app when available. Until patched, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

GlobalProtect 6.0.11+, 6.2.8+, or 6.3.3+ depending on your current branch

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed GlobalProtect version by checking the application or system information
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current installation belongs to (6.0.x, 6.2.x, or 6.3.x)
  3. 3. For version 6.0.x: Upgrade to version 6.0.11 or later (or 6.0.13 if available for your branch)
  4. 4. For version 6.2.x: Upgrade to version 6.2.8 or later
  5. 5. For version 6.3.x: Upgrade to version 6.3.3 or later
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new GlobalProtect version
  7. 7. Test that the GlobalProtect VPN functionality continues to work as expected after the upgrade
Caveat Standard upgrade considerations apply - verify compatibility with your PAN-OS gateway version and test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Globalprotect Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,480
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,568.

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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-2026-0251 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