CVE-2020-2028 in PAN-OS
Summary
by MITRE
An OS Command Injection vulnerability in PAN-OS management server allows authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary OS commands with root privileges when uploading a new certificate in FIPS-CC mode. This issue affects: All versions of PAN-OS 7.1 and PAN-OS 8.0; PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.13; PAN-OS 9.0 versions earlier than PAN-OS 9.0.7.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2020-2028 represents a critical operating system command injection flaw within Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS management servers. This security weakness specifically manifests when administrators upload new certificates while the system operates in FIPS-CC mode, creating a dangerous pathway for privilege escalation. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it allows authenticated users with administrative privileges to execute arbitrary operating system commands with the highest level of system access, effectively granting root privileges to malicious actors who can exploit this flaw. The affected versions span across multiple PAN-OS releases including 7.1, 8.0, and specific earlier iterations of 8.1 and 9.0, indicating a widespread exposure that affects organizations running these legacy systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation during the certificate upload process within FIPS-CC mode operations. When administrators upload certificates, the system fails to adequately sanitize or validate the input data, allowing maliciously crafted certificate content to contain executable commands that get processed by the underlying operating system. This flaw falls under the CWE-77 category of command injection, where user-supplied data is directly incorporated into OS commands without proper sanitization or escaping mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically targets the certificate management functionality, which is a legitimate administrative operation that should not provide a backdoor for arbitrary command execution. The exploitation requires authentication as an administrator, which means the attack vector is more constrained but still highly dangerous due to the elevated privileges that are granted upon successful exploitation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete control over the management server's operating system. Organizations running affected PAN-OS versions face significant risk of full system compromise, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The fact that this vulnerability operates in FIPS-CC mode adds complexity to the threat landscape, as organizations using this compliance-focused security configuration may be falsely assured of their protection while remaining vulnerable to this specific attack vector. The privilege escalation to root level means that attackers can modify system configurations, install backdoors, access all stored credentials, and potentially use the compromised management server as a pivot point for attacking other network segments. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and availability of the network security infrastructure, as the management server becomes a potential attack surface for complete network compromise.
Organizations affected by CVE-2020-2028 should immediately implement mitigations including applying the relevant PAN-OS patches and updates to reach versions 8.1.13, 9.0.7, or later, as these releases contain the necessary fixes for the certificate upload validation process. System administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging around certificate upload activities, particularly in FIPS-CC mode environments, to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access control measures should be reviewed to limit the administrative access that can be used to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and command execution, making it a significant concern for organizations that follow MITRE ATT&CK frameworks for threat modeling and defense planning. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected PAN-OS versions and ensure that proper remediation procedures are followed to prevent exploitation attempts that could lead to complete network compromise.