GlobalProtect App: Improper Neutralization of Wildcards or Matching Symbols
CVE-2025-4232 is a high-severity improper neutralization of wildcards or matching symbols vulnerability in GlobalProtect App from Palo Alto Networks, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 6.3.3, 6.2.8-h2 as the first without the flaw, so updating GlobalProtect App to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.47% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update GlobalProtect App to 6.3.3 or 6.2.8-h2, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Globalprotect to 6.2.8 or 6.3.3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on security.paloaltonetworks.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Networks | GlobalProtect App | 6.3 up to, but not including, 6.3.3; 6.2.0 up to, but not including, 6.2.8-h2; 6.1.0; 6.0.0 | 6.3.3, 6.2.8-h2 |
| Palo Alto Networks | Globalprotect | 6.0.0 up to, but not including, 6.2.8; 6.3.0 up to, but not including, 6.3.3 | 6.2.8, 6.3.3 |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | 8.5 | High | CNA (paloaltonetworks.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
An improper neutralization of wildcards vulnerability in the log collection feature of Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect™ app on macOS allows a non administrative user to escalate their privileges to root.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Neutralization of Wildcards or Matching Symbols
The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as wildcards or matching symbols when they are sent to a downstream component.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Developers should anticipate that wildcard or matching elements will be injected/removed/manipulated in the input vectors of their product. Use an appropriate combination of denylists and allowlists to ensure only valid, expected and appropriate input is processed by the system.
- While it is risky to use dynamically-generated query strings, code, or commands that mix control and data together, sometimes it may be unavoidable. Properly quote arguments and escape any special characters within those arguments. The most conservative approach is to escape or filter all characters that do not pass an extremely strict allowlist (such as everything that is not alphanumeric or white space). If some special characters are still needed, such as white space, wrap each argument in quotes after the escaping/filtering step. Be careful of argument injection (CWE-88).
- Inputs should be decoded and canonicalized to the application's current internal representation before being validated (CWE-180). Make sure that the application does not decode the same input twice (CWE-174). Such errors could be used to bypass allowlist validation schemes by introducing dangerous inputs after they have been checked.
More Improper Neutralization of Wildcards or Matching Symbols vulnerabilities (CWE-155)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in GlobalProtect App
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
Recent Improper Neutralization of Wildcards or Matching Symbols vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
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