CVE-2024-3383 in PAN-OS
Summary
by MITRE • 04/10/2024
A vulnerability in how Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software processes data received from Cloud Identity Engine (CIE) agents enables modification of User-ID groups. This impacts user access to network resources where users may be inappropriately denied or allowed access to resources based on your existing Security Policy rules.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2025
This vulnerability resides within the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software ecosystem, specifically affecting how the system processes data from Cloud Identity Engine agents. The flaw manifests in the User-ID group modification mechanism, which serves as a critical component for identity-based access control within network security policies. When CIE agents transmit user identity information to the PAN-OS platform, the software's processing logic fails to adequately validate or sanitize the incoming data, creating an avenue for unauthorized manipulation of user group assignments. This represents a significant weakness in the identity management infrastructure that underpins network access control decisions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and CWE-345, which addresses insufficient validation of data authenticity. Attackers exploiting this weakness could potentially alter User-ID group memberships through manipulated data payloads sent from compromised or malicious CIE agents. The vulnerability essentially allows for privilege escalation and access control bypass by enabling unauthorized modification of user group memberships, which directly impacts the enforcement of security policies. The flaw operates at the intersection of identity management and network security policy enforcement, where identity data integrity directly affects access decisions.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk for organizations relying on PAN-OS for network security. Network administrators may observe users being inappropriately denied access to legitimate resources when their group memberships are incorrectly modified, or conversely, users may gain unauthorized access to protected resources when their group assignments are manipulated to grant inappropriate privileges. The impact extends beyond simple access denial or allowance, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model between identity systems and network security controls. Security policies that depend on accurate user group information for access decisions become compromised, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized system access, and violations of security compliance requirements.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including enhanced monitoring of User-ID group changes, validation of CIE agent communications, and network segmentation to limit potential exploitation. The recommended approach involves verifying the authenticity of data received from CIE agents through cryptographic means or additional validation layers. Security teams should also review and audit existing User-ID group configurations to identify any unauthorized modifications that may have occurred. Additionally, implementing network access controls that limit communication between CIE agents and PAN-OS systems to trusted sources can reduce the attack surface. Regular security assessments of identity management systems and continuous monitoring of access control decisions should be established to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating identity data integrity within security infrastructure, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential harvesting and T1078 for valid accounts usage. Organizations must also consider updating to patched versions of PAN-OS software as released by Palo Alto Networks, while maintaining vigilance against potential zero-day exploitation attempts targeting this specific processing weakness in the User-ID group management system.