CVE-2021-3042

Cortex XDR Agent: Improper Control of User-Controlled File Leads to Local Privilege Escalation

Description

A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables an authenticated local Windows user to execute programs with SYSTEM privileges. Exploiting this vulnerability requires the user to have file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\). This issue impacts: All versions of Cortex XDR agent 6.1 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.2 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.3 without content update 181 or a later version. Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions are not impacted by this issue. Content updates are required to resolve this issue and are automatically applied for the agent.

Remediation

Solution:

  • This issue is fixed in Cortex XDR agent 6.1, Cortex XDR agent 7.2, Cortex XDR agent 7.3, and all later Cortex XDR agent versions with content update 181 or later content updates. Content updates are required to resolve this issue and are automatically applied for the agent.

Workaround:

  • This issue is mitigated by preventing local authenticated Windows users from creating files in the Windows root directory (such as C:\).

Category

7.8
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.1 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 0.03%
Vendor Advisory paloaltonetworks.com
Affected: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent
Affected: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent
Affected: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2021-3042 vendor advisory

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2021-3042?
CVE-2021-3042 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2021-3042?
To fix CVE-2021-3042: This issue is fixed in Cortex XDR agent 6.1, Cortex XDR agent 7.2, Cortex XDR agent 7.3, and all later Cortex XDR agent versions with content update 181 or later content updates. Content updates are required to resolve this issue and are automatically applied for the agent.
Is CVE-2021-3042 being actively exploited in the wild?
As for now, there are no information to confirm that CVE-2021-3042 is being actively exploited. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~0% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2021-3042?
CVE-2021-3042 affects Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent.
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