Pan OsOperating system · Paloaltonetworks

CVE-2026-0279

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-07-09

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.1.16 / 11.2.13 or later.

See remediation →

68/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Remotely reachable No privileges 6 weeks old

Official description

NVD · unedited

Multiple cross site scripting vulnerabilities in the User-ID™ Authentication Portal (aka Captive Portal) service, GlobalProtect™ gateway/portal features and Clientless VPN of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS® software enables a malicious unauthenticated user to store or execute malicious JavaScript payload. The security risk posed by this issue is minimized when the management interface and access to the User-ID™ Authentication Portal is restricted to only trusted internal IP addresses according to our recommended best practice deployment guidelines https://live.paloaltonetworks.com/t5/community-blogs/tips-amp-tricks-how-to-secure-the-management-access-of-your-palo/ba-p/464431 . This issue is applicable to PAN-OS software on PA-Series and VM-Series firewalls and on Panorama (virtual and M-Series). Cloud NGFW is not affected by this vulnerability.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Multiple stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities exist in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS in the User-ID Authentication Portal (Captive Portal), GlobalProtect gateway/portal, and Clientless VPN components. An unauthenticated attacker can store or execute malicious JavaScript payloads in these web interfaces, potentially compromising authenticated users who access the affected portals.

MitigationRestrict management interface and User-ID Authentication Portal access to trusted internal IP addresses per Palo Alto best practices; apply vendor-supplied PAN-OS patches when available.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Pan OsOperating system

Affected:>= 10.2.0, < 11.1.16>= 11.2.0, < 11.2.13>= 12.1.0, < 12.1.8

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify PAN-OS version

Log into the PAN-OS CLI and run 'show system info' or use the web interface under Device > Setup > Operations > Device Information to view the PAN-OS version field

Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 10.2.0 through 11.1.15, 11.2.0 through 11.2.12, or 12.1.0 through 12.1.7
Check if User-ID Authentication Portal is enabled

In the PAN-OS web interface, navigate to Device > User Identification > User-ID Authentication Portal Settings and verify if 'Enable User-ID Authentication Portal' is checked

Affected if The User-ID Authentication Portal (Captive Portal) is enabled and the PAN-OS version is in the affected ranges
Check if GlobalProtect gateway is enabled

In the PAN-OS web interface, go to Network > GlobalProtect > Gateways and verify if any GlobalProtect gateway entries exist and are enabled

Affected if A GlobalProtect gateway is configured and active with the PAN-OS version in the affected ranges
Check if GlobalProtect portal is enabled

In the PAN-OS web interface, go to Network > GlobalProtect > Portals and verify if any GlobalProtect portal entries exist and are enabled

Affected if A GlobalProtect portal is configured and active with the PAN-OS version in the affected ranges
Check if Clientless VPN is enabled

In the PAN-OS web interface, navigate to VPN > Clientless VPN and verify if Clientless VPN is configured with any remote access policies

Affected if Clientless VPN is configured and the PAN-OS version is in the affected ranges

A user is affected if their PAN-OS version is in the vulnerable ranges AND any of the three attack surfaces (User-ID Authentication Portal, GlobalProtect gateway/portal, or Clientless VPN) are enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.1.16 / 11.2.13 / 12.1.8 or later

Fixed in 11.1.1611.2.1312.1.8

Interim mitigation

Restrict management interface and User-ID Authentication Portal access to trusted internal IP addresses per Palo Alto best practices; apply vendor-supplied PAN-OS patches when available.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to PAN-OS 11.1.16 (if on 10.2.x), 11.2.13 (if on 11.2.x), or 12.1.8 (if on 12.1.x). Prefer the latest stable release in your current major version branch.

1. Identify your current PAN-OS version by navigating to Dashboard > General Information or using 'show system info' in CLI.
2. Determine your upgrade path based on your current major version: if on 10.2.x, upgrade to 11.1.16; if on 11.2.x, upgrade to 11.2.13; if on 12.1.x, upgrade to 12.1.8. Prefer the latest stable release in your major version branch.
3. Download the appropriate PAN-OS upgrade file from the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal.
4. Before upgrading, back up your current configuration via Device > Setup > Operations > Save named configuration snapshot.
5. Upload and install the upgrade via Device > Software > Upload, then Device > Software > Install.
6. After upgrade, verify the fix by confirming the new PAN-OS version matches the fixed release.
7. As an additional mitigation (per vendor recommendation), restrict access to the management interface and User-ID Authentication Portal (Captive Portal) to only trusted internal IP addresses by configuring address objects and applying to management interface settings or security policies.

Caveat Standard PAN-OS upgrade precautions apply - review release notes for your target version for any configuration or feature changes before upgrading.

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

Fix this in Pan Os Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

18.0 hours of engineering $3,200

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-0279 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References

Primary sources

security.paloaltonetworks.comVendor Advisory
cert-portal.siemens.com
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-0279 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2026-0279?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 11.1.16 / 11.2.13 or later

Severity 6.1 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.3%

Affects: Pan Os

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Pan Os 18 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,200

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2026-0279 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References