CVE-2022-0015 : What You Need to Know

A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent has been identified, allowing authenticated local users to run programs with elevated privileges. Read on to understand the impact, technical details, and mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-0015.

Understanding CVE-2022-0015

This CVE-2022-0015 involves an uncontrolled search path element that leads to a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR Agent, impacting specific versions of the software.

What is CVE-2022-0015?

CVE-2022-0015 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Cortex XDR Agent by Palo Alto Networks, enabling authenticated local users to execute programs with elevated privileges. It affects Cortex XDR Agent versions prior to 5.0.12 and 6.1.9.

The Impact of CVE-2022-0015

The vulnerability poses a high severity risk with a CVSS base score of 7.8, allowing attackers with local access to escalate their privileges and potentially execute malicious code with elevated permissions.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-0015

Below are the technical details related to this vulnerability:

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises due to an uncontrolled search path element in the Cortex XDR Agent, granting unauthorized access to execute commands with escalated privileges.

Affected Systems and Versions

The Cortex XDR Agent versions 5.0 and 6.1 prior to 5.0.12 and 6.1.9 respectively are affected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

Palo Alto Networks has not identified any instances of malicious exploitation related to this vulnerability.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2022-0015, consider the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade to Cortex XDR Agent 5.0.12, Cortex XDR Agent 6.1.9, or later versions to patch the vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the Cortex XDR Agent to ensure protection against known vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security advisories from Palo Alto Networks and promptly apply recommended patches and updates.

For further information on this vulnerability and its resolution, refer to Palo Alto Networks' advisory on CVE-2022-0015 at https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2022-0015.