CVE-2025-0106 in Cloud NGFW
Summary
by MITRE • 01/11/2025
A wildcard expansion vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Expedition allows an unauthenticated attacker to enumerate files on the host filesystem.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/24/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-0106 represents a critical wildcard expansion flaw within Palo Alto Networks Expedition software that enables unauthenticated remote attackers to perform arbitrary file enumeration on affected systems. This vulnerability specifically targets the file handling mechanisms within the Expedition tool, which is commonly used for network security assessment and configuration management. The flaw arises from insufficient input validation and improper handling of wildcard characters during file system operations, creating an attack vector that can be exploited without requiring any authentication credentials or privileged access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the software's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied input when processing file paths containing wildcard characters. When the Expedition tool processes file system requests that include wildcard patterns such as asterisks or question marks, the system performs unintended expansion operations that traverse the host filesystem hierarchy. This behavior allows attackers to craft malicious requests that can reveal directory structures, file names, and potentially sensitive information about the underlying operating system. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the inherent trust relationships within the software's file handling routines, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the tool is exposed to untrusted network traffic.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations utilizing Palo Alto Networks Expedition in their security infrastructure. Attackers can exploit this weakness to map out the target system's file structure, potentially identifying sensitive files, configuration data, or system artifacts that could aid in subsequent attacks. The enumeration capability provides attackers with valuable reconnaissance information that could be used to plan more sophisticated attacks against the network infrastructure. Additionally, the unauthenticated nature of the exploit means that any attacker with network access to the affected system can leverage this vulnerability, significantly expanding the attack surface and reducing the effectiveness of traditional network perimeter defenses.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to limit access to Expedition services, deployment of web application firewalls to filter malicious requests, and comprehensive monitoring of file system access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory) and represents a classic example of path traversal attacks that have been documented in numerous security frameworks. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1592 (Get Access) within the adversary tactics and techniques framework, demonstrating how initial reconnaissance can be achieved through application-level flaws. Security teams should also consider implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely remediation of this vulnerability across all affected systems and should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts that may have occurred prior to implementing mitigations.