Table of Contents
February 14, 2025
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How to Protect Your Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS from Critical Authentication Bypass Vulnerability (CVE-2024-9474)?
Palo Alto Networks has recently disclosed a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting their PAN-OS software. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-0012, carries a CVSS v4.0 base score of 9.3, signifying a critical risk. Exploitation of this flaw could allow an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the management web interface to gain full administrative privileges. This article aims to provide security professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the vulnerability, its potential impact, and the necessary steps to remediate it effectively.
A Short Introduction to Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS
Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS is the operating system that powers Palo Alto Networks' next-generation firewalls. It provides a wide range of security features, including intrusion prevention, application control, URL filtering, and advanced threat prevention. PAN-OS is designed to provide comprehensive protection against a wide range of cyber threats, making it a critical component of many organizations' security infrastructure. Securing PAN-OS is paramount for maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of network operations.
Summary of CVE-2024-0012
Description: An authentication bypass vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software allows an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the management web interface to gain PAN-OS administrator privileges.
CVSS Score: 9.3 (Critical)
CVSS Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/AU:N/R:U/V:C/RE:H/U:Red
This vulnerability arises from a missing authentication check for critical functions within PAN-OS. Specifically, an attacker with network access to the management web interface can bypass authentication mechanisms to gain administrative access. This allows the attacker to perform administrative actions, tamper with the configuration, or exploit other authenticated privilege escalation vulnerabilities, such as CVE-2024-9474. The severity stems from the ease of exploitation and the high level of access gained.
Impact of CVE-2024-0012
The impact of CVE-2024-0012 is significant. Successful exploitation can grant an attacker complete control over the PAN-OS system, enabling them to:
Gain full administrative control: The attacker can perform any action an administrator can, including modifying security policies, creating new user accounts, and accessing sensitive data.
Modify system configurations: Compromising network security policies could lead to further breaches and unauthorized access.
Perform unauthorized administrative actions: Attackers can disrupt network operations, exfiltrate sensitive information, or create persistent backdoors.
Exploit other vulnerabilities: The gained access can be a stepping stone to exploit other vulnerabilities within the network, such as CVE-2024-9474 potentially leading to a deeper compromise. Understanding vulnerability assessments is crucial to identifying and mitigating such risks.
Disrupt network operations: By modifying configurations or shutting down services, the attacker can disrupt network connectivity and availability.
Given the critical nature of PAN-OS in network security, a successful exploit could have far-reaching consequences for the organization. The vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild. Learn how to implement a robust patch management strategy to address vulnerabilities promptly.
Products Affected by CVE-2024-0012
The vulnerability affects specific versions of PAN-OS running on PA-Series, VM-Series, and CN-Series firewalls and on Panorama (virtual and M-Series). Cloud NGFW and Prisma Access are not impacted.
|
Product
|
Affected Versions
|
Unaffected Versions
|
|---|---|---|
|
Cloud NGFW
|
None
|
All
|
|
PAN-OS 11.2
|
< 11.2.1-h1
< 11.2.2-h2
< 11.2.3-h3
< 11.2.4-h1
|
>= 11.2.1-h1
>= 11.2.2-h2
>= 11.2.3-h3
>= 11.2.4-h1
|
|
PAN-OS 11.1
|
< 11.1.0-h4
< 11.1.1-h2
< 11.1.2-h15
< 11.1.3-h11
< 11.1.4-h7
< 11.1.5-h1
|
>= 11.1.0-h4
>= 11.1.1-h2
>= 11.1.2-h15
>= 11.1.3-h11
>= 11.1.4-h7
>= 11.1.5-h1
|
|
PAN-OS 11.0
|
< 11.0.0-h4
< 11.0.1-h5
< 11.0.2-h5
< 11.0.3-h13
< 11.0.4-h6
< 11.0.5-h2
< 11.0.6-h1
|
>= 11.0.0-h4
>= 11.0.1-h5
>= 11.0.2-h5
>= 11.0.3-h13
>= 11.0.4-h6
>= 11.0.5-h2
>= 11.0.6-h1
|
|
PAN-OS 10.2
|
< 10.2.0-h4
< 10.2.1-h3
< 10.2.2-h6
< 10.2.3-h14
< 10.2.4-h32
< 10.2.5-h9
< 10.2.6-h6
< 10.2.7-h18
< 10.2.8-h15
< 10.2.9-h16
< 10.2.10-h9
< 10.2.11-h6
< 10.2.12-h2
|
>= 10.2.0-h4
>= 10.2.1-h3
>= 10.2.2-h6
>= 10.2.3-h14
>= 10.2.4-h32
>= 10.2.5-h9
>= 10.2.6-h6
>= 10.2.7-h18
>= 10.2.8-h15
>= 10.2.9-h16
>= 10.2.10-h9
>= 10.2.11-h6
>= 10.2.12-h2
|
|
PAN-OS 10.1
|
None
|
All
|
|
Prisma Access
|
None
|
All
|
How to Check Your Product is Vulnerable?
Identifying vulnerable PAN-OS instances within your environment is crucial for effective remediation. Here are several methods to determine if your products are affected:
1. PAN-OS Version Check:
Log into the PAN-OS web interface or use the CLI.
Check the software version under "Device > Software".
Compare the installed version with the "Affected Versions" listed in the table above.
2. Internet Facing Management Interface:
Determine if your management interface is directly exposed to the internet or accessible through a dataplane interface with a management profile.
Use the Customer Support Portal (Products -> Assets -> All Assets -> Remediation Required) to identify potentially exposed devices discovered in Palo Alto Networks' internet scans. Devices tagged with PAN-SA-2024-0015 indicate a potentially vulnerable configuration.
For more information, refer to Palo Alto Networks security advisory.
3. Threat Prevention Logs:
If you have a Threat Prevention subscription, check the logs for any detections related to Threat IDs 95746, 95747, 95752, 95753, 95759, and 95763, as these signatures are designed to detect exploitation attempts. To effectively use these logs, consider integrating them with a SIEM for enhanced security monitoring.
4. Configuration Review:
Examine your firewall configuration to verify that access to the management interface is restricted to trusted internal IP addresses only. Review any management profiles configured on dataplane interfaces.
For detailed insights, explore Unit 42.
How to Fix the Vulnerability?
The primary remediation strategy for CVE-2024-0012 is to upgrade to a fixed version of PAN-OS.
1. Upgrade PAN-OS:
Upgrade to one of the following fixed versions or later:
* PAN-OS 10.2.12-h2
* PAN-OS 11.0.6-h1
* PAN-OS 11.1.5-h1
* PAN-OS 11.2.4-h1
Palo Alto Networks also provides fixes for commonly deployed maintenance releases. Refer to the "Solution" section of the official Palo Alto Networks security advisory for a complete list of fixed versions.
Consider using automation and orchestration to streamline the upgrade process across your infrastructure.
2. Workarounds and Mitigations:
Restrict Management Interface Access: This is the most critical mitigation step. Ensure that access to the management interface is strictly limited to trusted internal IP addresses. Avoid exposing the management interface to the internet or untrusted networks. You can also learn about Zero Trust Security principles to further enhance your network security.
Threat Prevention Subscription: If you have a Threat Prevention subscription, enable and configure the following Threat IDs in block mode (available in Applications and Threats content version 8915-9075 and later): 95746, 95747, 95752, 95753, 95759, and 95763. Ensure that incoming traffic for the management port is routed through a dataplane port, that the Certificate for Inbound Traffic Management is replaced and inbound traffic to the management interface is decrypted, and that threat prevention is enabled on the inbound traffic.
Monitor Official Channels: Even if you've implemented mitigations, continue to monitor official Palo Alto Networks channels for any further security updates or guidance related to this vulnerability.
By diligently applying these measures, security professionals can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation and protect their PAN-OS deployments from this critical authentication bypass vulnerability. It's also a great idea to incorporate this into your cyber incident response plan
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Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
