Privilege Escalation in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS Management Web Interface
CVE-2024-9474 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS affecting the management web interface. According to the provided content, a PAN-OS administrator with access to the management web interface can perform actions on the firewall with root privileges, effectively enabling execution of root-level commands on the underlying device. The issue affects PAN-OS firewall devices; Cloud NGFW and Prisma Access are stated to be unaffected. The content does not identify the exact vulnerable function or code path, but consistently describes the flaw as residing in the PAN-OS web management interface and enabling escalation from administrator-level access to root on the firewall. The vulnerability has been reported as chainable with CVE-2024-0012, an authentication bypass in the PAN-OS management interface, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach root-level compromise on exposed devices.
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Impact, mitigation & remediation
What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.
Impact
What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.
Mitigation
If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.
Remediation
Patch, then assume compromise.
Exploits
5 valid exploits after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository contains a single main exploit tool, PanOsExploitMultitool.py, written in Python. The tool targets Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS devices vulnerable to CVE-2024-0012 and CVE-2024-9474, providing exploitation and post-exploitation capabilities. The script supports several commands: - 'check': Tests if a target is vulnerable. - 'shell': Exploits the target to obtain a reverse shell by chunking and writing a base64-encoded bash shell payload to a writable directory, then executing it to connect back to the attacker's listener. - 'dump': Retrieves and decrypts credentials from the target's configuration files using a known AES master key, and can also extract the full running configuration. - 'local': Decrypts credentials from a local XML config file, useful for offline analysis. - 'decrypt': Interactively decrypts encrypted credential strings using the public master key. The tool interacts with the PAN-OS management interface over HTTPS (default port 443), and uses file paths such as /var/tmp/ and /opt/pancfg/mgmt/saved-configs/ on the target device. It is operational and provides real exploitation and credential extraction capabilities, not just detection. The repository includes a README with detailed usage instructions and references, a requirements.txt for dependencies, and an Apache 2.0 license.
This repository is a Go-based Proof of Concept (PoC) exploit for two vulnerabilities in Palo Alto PAN-OS: CVE-2024-0012 and CVE-2024-9474. The main exploit logic resides in 'main.go', which provides two modes: scan mode and exploit mode. In scan mode, the tool checks a list of target URLs for unauthenticated access to a specific endpoint, indicating vulnerability. In exploit mode, it provides an interactive shell for the user to execute arbitrary commands on a single vulnerable target. The exploit works by sending a specially crafted POST request to '/php/utils/createRemoteAppwebSession.php/peppa.js.map' with a payload that writes the output of a shell command to a web-accessible file, which is then retrieved by the tool. The repository includes a README with detailed usage instructions, a Go module definition, and a single Go source file implementing the exploit. The exploit targets network-accessible PAN-OS devices and leverages unauthenticated HTTP endpoints to achieve command execution.
This repository contains a Python proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2024-0012 (authentication bypass) and CVE-2024-9474 (command execution) affecting Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS. The main file, 'CVE-2024-0012_CVE-2024-9474_Exploit_Palo_Alto_PAN-OS_PoC.py', automates the exploitation process: it first checks if the target is vulnerable, extracts a PHP session ID, generates a double-base64-encoded bash reverse shell payload, and uploads it in chunks to the target using a vulnerable PHP endpoint. The script then reconstructs and decodes the payload on the target, writes it to a shell script, and executes it, resulting in a reverse shell connection to the attacker's listener. The exploit leverages specific HTTP endpoints on the target PAN-OS device and uses temporary files for payload assembly. The repository also includes a detailed README with usage instructions, vulnerability descriptions, and references. The exploit is operational and provides a working reverse shell if the target is vulnerable and properly configured.
This repository contains a Python exploit script (exploit_fw.py) targeting Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS devices vulnerable to CVE-2024-0012 and CVE-2024-9474. The exploit abuses a vulnerable PHP endpoint to inject a shell command (up to 19 characters) via a POST request, which writes the command output to a PHP file in a web-accessible directory on the target device. The script then retrieves the output by making a GET request to the created PHP file. The exploit requires the attacker to specify the target hostname and the command to execute. The README provides references to a blog post and social media for further context. The repository is structured simply, with one main exploit script and a README. The exploit is operational and demonstrates remote command execution, potentially allowing for further exploitation such as reverse shells.
This repository is a Go-based exploit tool targeting Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS, specifically for CVE-2024-9474 (and possibly CVE-2024-0012). The tool provides two main modes: a scan mode for batch testing multiple targets for authentication bypass, and an exploit mode that offers an interactive shell-like interface to execute arbitrary commands on a single target. The exploit works by sending a crafted POST request to a vulnerable endpoint, causing the target to execute arbitrary shell commands and write their output to a web-accessible file, which the tool then retrieves. The code is well-structured, with clear separation between scanning and exploitation logic, and uses several third-party Go libraries for argument parsing, progress bars, and colored output. The main entry point is 'main.go'. The tool is operational and provides real exploitation capabilities, not just detection. No hardcoded IPs or domains are present; the user supplies targets via command-line arguments or a file.
Affected products & vendors
Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.
Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.
Recent activity
14 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A Palo Alto firewall vulnerability cited in references as part of broader exploitation of edge appliances.
A Palo Alto firewall device vulnerability referenced as part of broader edge-device exploitation examples.
A Palo Alto Networks vulnerability that CISA KEV’s knownRansomwareCampaignUse field silently flipped to Known during 2025 (evidence of ransomware campaign use).
One of multiple PAN-OS vulnerabilities reported as being chained in real-world attacks to compromise Palo Alto Networks firewalls.
The version that knows your environment.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.