CVE-2018-9337 in PAN-OS
Summary
by MITRE
The PAN-OS web interface administration page in PAN-OS 6.1.20 and earlier, PAN-OS 7.1.17 and earlier, PAN-OS 8.0.10 and earlier, and PAN-OS 8.1.1 and earlier may allow an attacker to inject arbitrary JavaScript or HTML.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-9337 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the web interface administration page of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS operating systems. This security weakness affects multiple versions including PAN-OS 6.1.20 and earlier, PAN-OS 7.1.17 and earlier, PAN-OS 8.0.10 and earlier, and PAN-OS 8.1.1 and earlier, exposing a significant attack surface for malicious actors targeting network security infrastructure. The flaw resides in the web administration interface's insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms, which fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it within the web page context. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a reflected XSS attack vector that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when administrators or authenticated users interact with the web interface administration page, where input fields and parameters are not adequately sanitized before being processed and displayed. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads containing JavaScript or HTML code that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the administrative interface, which typically requires elevated privileges and contains sensitive configuration data. This means that successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code within the browser context of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete administrative control of the firewall or security appliance.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-9337 extends beyond simple script execution, as it represents a severe compromise of network security infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to administrative functions, modify firewall rules, extract sensitive configuration information, or establish persistent access to the network security device. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the affected PAN-OS versions are widely deployed across enterprise environments, making numerous organizations potentially vulnerable to this specific weakness. The vulnerability enables attackers to perform reconnaissance activities, escalate privileges, and maintain long-term access to critical network security controls, effectively undermining the security posture of affected organizations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the latest security patches released by Palo Alto Networks, which address the input validation issues in the web interface administration components. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script injection attempts, and conduct thorough security assessments of their PAN-OS deployments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and represents a critical threat that requires immediate attention as part of comprehensive vulnerability management programs. Regular security monitoring and incident response procedures should be enhanced to detect potential exploitation attempts, and network segmentation strategies should be reviewed to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs. Additionally, security awareness training for administrators should emphasize the importance of maintaining updated security software and recognizing potential indicators of compromise related to web interface vulnerabilities.