CVE-2021-3061 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Discover the details of CVE-2021-3061, an OS command injection vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS CLI impacting multiple versions. Learn about the impact, exploitation, and mitigation steps.
An OS command injection vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS command line interface (CLI) enables an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary OS commands, impacting multiple PAN-OS versions and Prisma Access 2.1 firewalls.
Understanding CVE-2021-3061
This CVE identifies an OS command injection vulnerability in the PAN-OS CLI, affecting various versions of PAN-OS and Prisma Access firewalls.
What is CVE-2021-3061?
CVE-2021-3061 is an OS command injection vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS CLI, allowing authenticated users to run arbitrary commands to elevate their privileges on affected devices.
The Impact of CVE-2021-3061
The vulnerability poses a medium severity with a CVSS base score of 6.4, providing attackers with the potential to execute malicious commands locally with high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-3061
This section provides specific technical details regarding the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
The vulnerability enables authenticated administrators to execute unauthorized commands through the CLI interface, leading to privilege escalation.
Affected Systems and Versions
The impacted versions include PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, 10.1.3, and Prisma Access 2.1 Preferred and Innovation versions.
Exploitation Mechanism
The vulnerability requires authenticated access, limiting the scope of potential exploit attempts. Palo Alto Networks has not detected any malicious activities exploiting this vulnerability.
Mitigation and Prevention
Below are the recommended steps to mitigate and prevent exploitation of CVE-2021-3061.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Ensure only authorized personnel have CLI access
- Implement strict access controls and monitoring
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update PAN-OS software to the latest versions
- Review security best practices provided in the PAN-OS technical documentation
Patching and Updates
The issue has been resolved in PAN-OS 8.1.20-h1, 9.0.14-h3, 9.1.11-h2, 10.0.8, 10.1.3, and later versions. For Prisma Access, the fix is available in Prisma Access 2.2 Preferred and subsequent versions.