CVE-2023-6791 in PAN-OS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/13/2023
A credential disclosure vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software enables an authenticated read-only administrator to obtain the plaintext credentials of stored external system integrations such as LDAP, SCP, RADIUS, TACACS+, and SNMP from the web interface.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/18/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical credential exposure flaw in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software that directly violates fundamental security principles of credential protection and access control. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the web interface components responsible for managing external system integrations. An authenticated read-only administrator, despite having limited privileges, can exploit this weakness to extract plaintext credentials from various authentication and integration protocols including LDAP for directory services, SCP for secure file transfers, RADIUS for network access authentication, TACACS+ for remote authentication, and SNMP for network monitoring. This represents a significant bypass of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates a failure in proper credential handling mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically affects PAN-OS versions that support external system integration features, creating an attack surface where administrative users with minimal permissions can gain access to sensitive authentication information that should remain protected. According to CWE-200, this falls under the category of exposing sensitive information to an unauthorized actor, while the attack vector aligns with CWE-287 which addresses authentication bypasses. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft as it enables attackers to potentially escalate their privileges within the network infrastructure, particularly when these credentials are used for administrative access to other systems or services.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated session with read-only administrative privileges, making it accessible to users who should not have access to sensitive credential information. The flaw exists in how the web interface renders and displays stored integration credentials, likely through improper sanitization of data returned from internal configuration management systems. This allows the plaintext credentials to be exposed through direct interface access rather than requiring more sophisticated exploitation techniques. The vulnerability affects multiple integration protocols simultaneously, indicating a systemic issue in how PAN-OS handles credential storage and retrieval for external systems. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1552.001 which covers credentials from password storage modules, and T1078 which addresses valid accounts with compromised credentials. The exposure of plaintext credentials in the web interface represents a failure in proper data protection measures and demonstrates inadequate separation between different privilege levels within the system architecture.
Organizations utilizing Palo Alto Networks firewalls and security appliances face significant operational risks when this vulnerability is present in their environment. The exposure of LDAP credentials could enable attackers to access directory services and potentially escalate privileges to domain administrator accounts, while RADIUS and TACACS+ credential exposure could provide access to network access control systems. SCP and SNMP credentials may allow unauthorized file transfers or network monitoring activities, respectively. The impact extends beyond immediate credential theft as these credentials often have broad network access permissions and can be used to compromise additional systems within the organization's infrastructure. Security teams must understand that this vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector where compromised read-only accounts can be leveraged to gain access to critical network services. The remediation process requires immediate patching of affected PAN-OS versions, along with comprehensive credential rotation for all affected external system integrations. Additionally, organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to credential storage areas. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper privilege management and the need for robust credential handling mechanisms that prevent unauthorized disclosure even within privileged user sessions. This issue reinforces the necessity of regular security assessments and the implementation of defense-in-depth strategies to protect against credential exposure attacks.