GlobalProtect App: Untrusted Search Path
CVE-2026-0299 is a high-severity untrusted search path vulnerability in GlobalProtect App 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 versions 6.3.3-h15, 6.0.15, 6.3.3-h14 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 0.17% 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-h15 or 6.0.15 or 6.3.3-h14 or 6.2.8-h13, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Globalprotect to 6.0.15 or 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 | 6.3.0 up to, but not including, 6.3.3-h15; 6.2.0; 6.0.0 up to, but not including, 6.0.15; 6.3.0 up to, but not including, 6.3.3-h14; 6.2.0 up to, but not including, 6.2.8-h13 | 6.3.3-h15, 6.0.15, 6.3.3-h14, 6.2.8-h13 |
| Palo Alto Networks | Globalprotect | 6.0.0 up to, but not including, 6.0.15; 6.2.0 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 | 6.0.15, 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
- 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 | 5.9 | Medium | CNA (paloaltonetworks.com) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
Local privilege escalation vulnerabilities in the Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect™ app enable a local user to escalate their privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM on Windows, and root on macOS and Linux. This enables a non-administrative user to execute arbitrary commands with administrative privileges. The GlobalProtect app on iOS, Android, and Chrome OS is not affected.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Untrusted Search Path
The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Hard-code the search path to a set of known-safe values (such as system directories), or only allow them to be specified by the administrator in a configuration file. Do not allow these settings to be modified by an external party. Be careful to avoid related weaknesses such as CWE-426 and CWE-428.
- When invoking other programs, specify those programs using fully-qualified pathnames. While this is an effective approach, code that uses fully-qualified pathnames might not be portable to other systems that do not use the same pathnames. The portability can be improved by locating the full-qualified paths in a centralized, easily-modifiable location within the source code, and having the code refer to these paths.
- Remove or restrict all environment settings before invoking other programs. This includes the PATH environment variable, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, and other settings that identify the location of code libraries, and any application-specific search paths.
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
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
Recent Untrusted Search Path vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.4 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
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