WildFire WF-500 and WF-500-B: External Control of File Name or Path
CVE-2026-0259 is a high-severity external control of file name or path vulnerability in WildFire WF-500 and WF-500-B 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 12.1.7, 12.1.4-h5, 11.2.11,11.2.7-h7, 11.1.13,11.1.10-h8 as the first without the flaw, so updating WildFire WF-500 and WF-500-B to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.34% 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 WildFire WF-500 and WF-500-B to 12.1.7, 12.1.4-h5 or 11.2.11,11.2.7-h7 or 11.1.13,11.1.10-h8 or 10.2.18-h6, 10.2.16-h7, 10.2.13-h21, 10.2.10-h36, 10.2.7-h34, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Pan-os to 10.2.7 or 10.2.10 or 10.2.13 or 10.2.16, 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 | WildFire WF-500 and WF-500-B | 12.1.0 up to, but not including, 12.1.7, 12.1.4-h5; 11.2.0 up to, but not including, 11.2.11,11.2.7-h7; 11.1.0 up to, but not including, 11.1.13,11.1.10-h8; 10.2.0 up to, but not including, 10.2.18-h6, 10.2.16-h7, 10.2.13-h21, 10.2.10-h36, 10.2.7-h34 | 12.1.7, 12.1.4-h5, 11.2.11,11.2.7-h7, 11.1.13,11.1.10-h8, 10.2.18-h6, 10.2.16-h7, 10.2.13-h21, 10.2.10-h36, 10.2.7-h34 |
| Palo Alto Networks | Pan-os | before 10.2.7; 10.2.8 up to, but not including, 10.2.10; 10.2.11 up to, but not including, 10.2.13; 10.2.14 up to, but not including, 10.2.16; 10.2.7; 10.2.10; 10.2.13; 10.2.16; and 22 more ranges | 10.2.7, 10.2.10, 10.2.13, 10.2.16, 11.1.4, 11.1.6 |
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 | 5.0 | Medium | CNA (paloaltonetworks.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
An arbitrary File Read and Delete Vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks WildFire® WF-500 and WF-500-B appliances enables users to read sensitive information and delete arbitrary files. This vulnerability affects WF-500 and WF-500-B appliances running in the default non-FIPS configuration mode. The WildFire Appliance (WF-500, WF-500-B) software update is now available to customers that use the WildFire Appliance (WF-500, WF-500-B) for on-premise sandboxing. Please note that customers using the WildFire Public cloud service are NOT impacted by this vulnerability.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: External Control of File Name or Path
The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, and reject all other inputs. For example, ID 1 could map to inbox.txt and ID 2 could map to profile.txt. Features such as the ESAPI AccessReferenceMap provide this capability.
- Run your code in a jail or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory. Examples include the Unix chroot jail and AppArmor. In general, managed code may provide some protection. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of your application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities (CWE-73)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Recent External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 7.7 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
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