Prisma Access AgentApplication · Paloaltonetworks
CVE-2026-0271
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 · uneditedA privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access Agent app on Linux devices enables a local user to execute code with elevated privileges. This does not impact Prisma Access Agent on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, or ChromeOS.
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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access Agent running on Linux. A local unprivileged user can execute code with elevated (root) privileges. The vulnerability does not affect Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, or ChromeOS versions of the agent.
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
Prisma Access AgentApplication
< 26.2.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Prisma Access Agent is installed on LinuxCheck for the Prisma Access Agent package using the system's package manager. For RPM-based systems: 'rpm -qa | grep -i prisma' or 'rpm -qi prisma-access-agent'. For Debian-based systems: 'dpkg -l | grep -i prisma' or 'dpkg -s prisma-access-agent'. Alternatively, check for the service process: 'ps aux | grep -i prisma' or 'systemctl list-units | grep -i prisma'. Check common installation directories like /opt/paloaltonetworks/prisma or /usr/local/prisma for the agent binaries.Affected if The package or running service is found on the system.
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Determine the installed version of Prisma Access AgentRun 'prisma-access-agent --version' or '/opt/paloaltonetworks/prisma/bin/prisma-access-agent --version' if the binary exists. For RPM packages: 'rpm -qi prisma-access-agent | grep Version'. For Debian packages: 'dpkg -s prisma-access-agent | grep Version'. Check the agent's log files or configuration for version information if the binary is not accessible.Affected if A version number is returned from any of these methods.
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Compare installed version against vulnerable rangeTake the version number found in step 2 and compare it to 26.2.1. The vulnerability affects all versions lower than 26.2.1, including older major versions, minor versions, and patch releases.Affected if The installed version is lower than 26.2.1 (for example: 26.2.0, 26.1.x, 26.0.x, 25.x.x, or any earlier release).
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Confirm presence of local unprivileged usersThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability requiring a local user account. Check for local users with: 'cat /etc/passwd | grep -v nologin' or 'getent passwd | cut -d: -f1,3,4 | awk -F: "$3 > 0 && $3 < 1000 {print}"'. Verify the agent is actively running with 'systemctl status prisma-access-agent' or 'ps aux | grep prisma-access-agent'.Affected if Local user accounts exist on the system AND Prisma Access Agent is installed and running.
The environment is affected if Prisma Access Agent for Linux is installed with any version lower than 26.2.1 and the system has local user accounts present.
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 · scoped26.2.1
Apply the vendor patch for CVE-2026-0271 when released. Until then, restrict local access to trusted users and monitor for suspicious process activity related to Prisma Access Agent.
Prisma Access Agent version 26.2.1 or later
- 1. Backup the current Prisma Access Agent configuration and any relevant system settings
- 2. Download Prisma Access Agent version 26.2.1 or later from the Palo Alto Networks support portal or official download channels
- 3. Stop the Prisma Access Agent service on the affected Linux device (e.g., using systemctl stop or service commands)
- 4. Install the upgraded Prisma Access Agent package (26.2.1 or later) using the appropriate package manager for your Linux distribution (e.g., dpkg, rpm, or the installer provided by Palo Alto Networks)
- 5. Verify the installation completed successfully and the service is running the fixed version
- 6. Restart the Prisma Access Agent service to ensure the update takes effect
- 7. Confirm the privilege escalation vulnerability is remediated by verifying file permissions on Prisma Access Agent binaries and directories are correctly configured
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Prisma Access Agent
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-0271 — 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-2026-0271 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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