GlobalProtect App: Insufficient Certificate Validation Leads to Privilege Escalation
Not confirmed exploited. 1 of 8 rule sources name it; Cloudflare blocks by default.
An insufficient certification validation issue in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app enables attackers to connect the GlobalProtect app to arbitrary servers. This can enable a local non-administrative operating system user or an… More
An insufficient certification validation issue in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect app enables attackers to connect the GlobalProtect app to arbitrary servers. This can enable a local non-administrative operating system user or an attacker on the same subnet to install malicious root certificates on the endpoint and subsequently install malicious software signed by the malicious root certificates on that endpoint. Please subscribe to our RSS feed https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/rss.xml to be alerted to new updates to this and other advisories.
Edge coverage
Claimed by vendorsAsk Vigil
AI · answers from this pageWorkers AI (Llama 3.3). Can be wrong: check the cited source.
Severity, decoded
CVSS 4.0Exploitable with physical access under specific conditions, with no privileges and some user interaction, leading to full loss of integrity; other systems can also be hit (full loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability).
How the score is built
- Attack vectorAn attacker must physically touch the device.Physical
- Attack complexityNo built-in defences have to be bypassed; the attack works reliably.Low
- Attack requirementsThe attack only works under specific conditions, such as a race or a particular setup.Present
- Privileges requiredNo account or login is needed.None
- User interactionA user has to do something ordinary, such as visit a page or open a file.Passive
- Confidentiality impact (vulnerable system)No data is exposed.None
- Integrity impact (vulnerable system)An attacker can change any data or files the affected component protects.High
- Availability impact (vulnerable system)The component keeps working normally.None
- Confidentiality impact (other systems)Other systems that rely on it can have all their data read.High
- Integrity impact (other systems)Other systems that rely on it can have any data changed.High
- Availability impact (other systems)Other systems that rely on it can be taken down.High
CVSS:4.0/AV:P/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/AU:N/R:U/V:D/RE:M/U:AmberAlso in the vector: Automatable: No · Recovery: User · Value density: Diffuse · Vulnerability response effort: Moderate · Provider urgency: Amber
Public exploit code or a detailed write-up exists, but CISA has not seen attacks.
At least one step needs hands-on work, which slows mass attacks.
A successful attack gives full control over the affected software or all of its data.
Public exploits
None foundNo exploit in Exploit-DB or Metasploit, and no scanner template. That lowers, but doesn't remove, the chance of mass exploitation.
Timeline
- 2024-11-27CVE publishedCVE List
- 2025-01-06Cloudflare ships a rulePalo Alto GlobalProtect - Remote Code Execution - CVE:CVE-2024-5921
Vendor statements
QuotedCloudflareWAF Managed Rules
First rule 2025-01-06, 40 days after the CVE was published.
Palo Alto GlobalProtect - Remote Code Execution - CVE:CVE-2024-5921. Previous action: Log. New action: Block. New Detection
AWSAWS WAF Managed Rules
We found no public statement from this vendor naming this CVE. That is not proof of no protection: generic rules may still catch it. AWS often describes a vulnerability without naming its CVE (for example "Log4j"). We count only entries that name the CVE, so AWS coverage is understated.
Microsoft AzureFront Door and Application Gateway WAF (DRS)
We found no public statement from this vendor naming this CVE. That is not proof of no protection: generic rules may still catch it. The rule tables name CVEs but carry no dates, so Azure is left out of every time-to-rule figure.
Google CloudCloud Armor preconfigured WAF rules
We found no public statement from this vendor naming this CVE. That is not proof of no protection: generic rules may still catch it. Google names few CVEs: the release notes start in May 2024 and the rules reference lists CVEs without dates. Its cve-canary rules are opt-in.
FastlyNext-Gen WAF virtual patches
The CVE predates the oldest entry in this vendor's public feed, so a rule may exist that we cannot see.
F5Attack signatures (Distributed Cloud WAF)
We found no public statement from this vendor naming this CVE. That is not proof of no protection: generic rules may still catch it. Each signature lists the CVEs it references, with its id and date. F5 does not state a default action; signatures enforce once staging ends in your policy.
AkamaiApp & API Protector (Adaptive Security Engine)
This vendor publishes no machine-readable rule changelog we can check.
OWASP CRSCore Rule Set (open source, used inside many WAFs)
We found no public statement from this vendor naming this CVE. That is not proof of no protection: generic rules may still catch it. CRS rarely names CVEs: it relies on generic detections. Our own lab measures what it actually blocks.
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