An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in the GlobalProtect SSL VPN component of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software that allows an attacker to bypass all client certificate checks with an invalid certificate. A remote attacker can successfully authenticate as any user and gain access to restricted VPN network resources when the gateway or portal is configured to rely entirely on certificate-based authentication. Impacted features that use SSL VPN with client certificate verification are: GlobalProtect Gateway, GlobalProtect Portal, GlobalProtect Clientless VPN In configurations where client certificate verification is used in conjunction with other authentication methods, the protections added by the certificate check are ignored as a result of this issue. This issue impacts: PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.17; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.11; PAN-OS 9.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.1.5; PAN-OS 10.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 10.0.1.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.2, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), limited integrity, for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from paloaltonetworks organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2020, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2020-11-12T00:15:10.677
2024-11-21T05:24:33.270
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 8.2 (HIGH)
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N
10.0
4.9
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | paloaltonetworks | pan-os | < 8.1.17 | Yes |
| Operating System | paloaltonetworks | pan-os | < 9.0.11 | Yes |
| Operating System | paloaltonetworks | pan-os | < 9.1.5 | Yes |
| Operating System | paloaltonetworks | pan-os | < 10.0.1 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For paloaltonetworks's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.