Prisma Access Agent: Protection Mechanism Failure
CVE-2026-0278 is a high-severity protection mechanism failure vulnerability in Prisma Access Agent from Palo Alto Networks, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists version 26.2.1 as the first without the flaw, so updating Prisma Access Agent to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.15% 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 Prisma Access Agent to 26.2.1 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 | Prisma Access Agent | 24.0 up to, but not including, 26.2.1 | 26.2.1 |
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
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- 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:L/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 | 5.8 | Medium | CNA (paloaltonetworks.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
Multiple protection mechanism failures in the Prisma Access Agent Data Loss Prevention (DLP) component for Windows allow a local user to bypass DLP policy enforcement controls. The Prisma Access Agent on macOS is not affected.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Protection Mechanism Failure
The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product.
Timeline
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in Prisma Access Agent
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
Recent Protection Mechanism Failure vulnerabilities
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.6 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
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